QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

HISTORY 


-OF- 


LAWRENCE,    MASSACHUSETTS, 


-WITH- 


PORTRAITS  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


-OF- 


EX-MAYORS,    THE    BOARD    OF    MAYOR    AND   ALDERMEN    FOR   THE    PRESENT 

YEAR,    OTHER    LEADING    OFFICIALS,  AND    A    REPRESENTATION 

OF    BUSINESS    AND    PROFESSIONAL    MEN. 


COMPILED  BY  H.  A.  WADSWORTH. 


PUBLISHED  AND  PRINTED  BY 

HAMMON  REED  ;  LAWRENCE  EAGLE  STEAM  JOB  PRINTING  OFFICE. 

1878. 


PREFATOR  Y. 


In  the  preparation  of  this  work,  the  author  has  sought  to  picture  a 
fleeting  phase  of  our  city's  life.  And  let  it  be  remembered  that  every 
point  of  time,  each  year,  each  month,  each  passing  moment,  marks 
some  era  begun,  some  event  completed. 

In  the  history  of  our  city  we  this  year  pass  the  mile  stone  which  marks 
the  quarter  of  a  century.  The  motto  is  :  "Go  forward,"  but  in  doing 
so  it  is  always  well,  at  important  turning  points,  to  take  a  retrospec- 
tive view,  for  there  is  much  to  be  gained  for  the  future  through  the  ex- 
periences of  the  past. 

A  history  is  a  record  of  deeds  completed,  but  this  book  is  not  wholly 
that  ;  it  is  something  more.  It  is  a  record  book  of  the  present. 
The  student  of  the  next  century  will  conceive  the  active  men  of  to-day, 
in  connection  with  our  city's  history,  as  contemporaneous  with  those 
who  were  indeed  the  pioneers  of  our  vast  manufacturing  enterprises. 
A  record  of  to-day  is  but  the  record  of  our  birth ;  and  it  is  fitting,  it 
is  well,  before  those  who  were  first  upon  the  scene  shall  have  passed 
away,  to  put  in  tangible  form  for  preservation,  as  near  as  possible  their 
personal  appearance,  the  battles  they  fought,  and  the  victories  they 
won  in  the  van  of  progress  and  material  growth. 


IV  PREFATORY. 

The  idea  of  showing  by  portrait  so  many  familiar  faces  is  some- 
what novel,  but  is  one  that  has  been  heartily  endorsed  by  a  large 
number  of  worthy  and  esteemed  citizens.  The  portraits  represent  no 
particular  class.  The  men  of  the  finest  broadcloth  were  not  especi- 
ally sought.  They  honestly  delineate  all  classes,  and  are  a  noble 
representation  of  the  men  who  are  furnishing  the  brains  and  muscle 
which  make  our  city  what  it  is. 

For  the  historical  portion  of  the  book  no  literary  merit  is  claimed. 
A  book  form  was  adopted  so  as  to  put  into  the  hands  of  the  people 
many  facts  which  were  gleaned  for  publication  in  the  Essex  Weekly 
Eagle,  in  order  that  they  might  be  better  preserved.  A  newspaper,  at 
best,  in  a  few  years  grows  yellow  and  illegible,  while  a  book,  with 
good  usage,  will  last  for  generations.  To  what  was  thus  published 
much  has  been  added,  although  the  limited  time  spent  in  its  com- 
pilation has  admitted  of  but  a  recital  of  the  more  important  events. 

In  the  preparation  much  freedom  has  been  used  in  copying  from  a 
short  history  of  Methuen,  published  in  1876,  by  Hon.  JOSEPH  S.  HOWE, 
and  also  from  the  history  of  Andover  compiled  by  ABIEL  ABBOT,  A.  M., 
in  1829.  Besides  these,  the  book  on  "The  Merrimack  River  and 
its  Tributaries"  by  J.  W.  MEADER,  and  published  by  B.  B.  Russell, 
Boston,  1872,  has  proved  a  valuable  auxiliary  for  information.  And 
some  passages  that  are  quoted  are  couched  in  as  beautiful  and  im- 
pressive language  as  pen  could  indite.  To  some  of  our  citizens, 
whose  names  are  mentioned  further  on,  we  extend  sincere  thanks  for 
invaluable  aid  and  assistance. 

That  perfect  accuracy  will  be  found  we  do  not  claim.  "To  err  is 
human,"  but  we  have  sought  accuracy  in  the  aggregate  and  in  detail. 


PREFATORY.  V 

Much  has  been  left  unsaid  in  connection  with  our  young  and  growing 
city  that  deserves  a  place  in  history.  It  is  hoped  that  the  OLD  RESI- 
DENTS' ASSOCIATION,  which,  though  young  in  organization,  has  already 
collected  much  valuable  historic  material,  will  ere  long  employ  a  com- 
piler, and  give  to  us  and  to  posterity  a  work  complete  in  the  fullest 
detail.  With  all  its  imperfections  our  effort  is  submitted  to  the  char- 
itable consideration  of  the  public,  with  the  hope  that  what  has  been 
done,  regardless  of  what  has  been  omitted,  will  be  kindly  received. 


HISTORY. 

i. 

GEOGRAPHY  AND  TOPOGRAPHY. 


The  city  of  Lawrence  is  the  sixth  city  in  population  in  the  State  of 
Massachusetts.  In  the  year  1875  there  were  34,916,  and  it  is  safe  to 
presume  that  at  the  present  writing,  (1878)  were  a  census  taken,  it 
would  show  in  excess  of  38,000  persons.  It  lies  in  latitude  42 
degrees,  42  minutes,  57.67  seconds,  longitude  71  degrees,  9  minutes, 
5.85  seconds  west  from  Greenwich.  Situated  on  the  Merrimack  River, 
twenty-six  miles  from  its  mouth,  and  is  bounded  as  follows  :  North,  by 
Methuen  ;  East,  by  North  Andover ;  South,  by  Andover  ;  West,  by 
Andover  and  Methuen.  Its  area  is  4,185  acres,  of  which  2,173  acres 
are  situated  on  the  north  side,  and  2012  acres  on  the  south  side  of  the 
river.  It  is  twenty-six  miles  north  from  Boston ;  ten  miles  northeast 
from  Lowell,  and  eight  miles  west  from  Haverhill.  The  Spicket 
River  crosses  the  northern  portion  of  the  city  and  falls  into  the  Mer- 
rimack within  the  city  limits,  while  the  Shawsheen,  another  important 
tributary,  forms  a  portion  of  the  southeast  boundary,  and  unites  its 
waters  with  the  Merrimack  in  the  town  of  North  Andover.  So  much 
of  the  city  as  lies  on  the  north  side  of  the  Merrimack  River,  was  for- 
merly a  part  of  the  town  of  Methuen,  and  that  on  the  south  side  was 
formerly  a  part  of  Andover. 


ON  THE  TERRITORY  WHERE  NOW  STANDS 

TfrC  CITY  OF  LAWRENCE, 


QUARTER-CENTENNIAL    HISTORY    OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  9 

The  town  of  Lawrence  was  created  by  an  Act  of  the  Legislature, 
approved  March  20,  1845,  as  follows  : 

SECT.  i.  All  the  territory  no\v  within  the  towns  of  Methuen  and 
Andover,  in  the  county  of  Essex,  comprised  within  the  following 
limits — that  is  to  say,  by  a  line  beginning  at  the  mouth  of  Shawsheen 
River,  at  its  easterly  bank,  thence  running  southerly  by  said  easterly 
bank  to  a  stake  at  the  bend  in  said  river,  a  few  rods  westerly  of  the 
bridge,  where  it  is  crossed  by  the  Salem  Turnpike  ;  thence  in  a 
straight  line  westerly  to  a  marked  stone  in  the  wall  at  the  easterly  cor- 
ner of  the  intersection  of  roads,  by  Jacob  Barnard's  house  ;  thence 
northerly  in  a  straight  line  across  Merrimack  River,  passing  between 
the  house  of  Asa  Barker  and  that  of  Ebenezer  Barker,  on  the  To.ver- 
Hill  Road,  leading  from  Methuen  to  Lowell,  to  a  stake  about  2,150 
feet  northerly  from  where  the  line  crosses  said  road  ;  thence  north- 
easterly to  a  monument  on  the  easterly  side  of  Londonderry  Turn- 
pike, passing  a  line  northerly  of  the  house  of  Abiel  Stevens  ;  thence 
easterly  in  a  straight  line  to  a  monument  at  the  intersection  of  Law- 
rence street  with  the  old  road  which  runs  easterly  from  Stevens'  fac- 
tory towards  Haverhill ;  thence  in  a  straight  line  easterly,  passing 
north  of  William  Swan's  house  through  a  monument  about  400  feet 
south  of  the  intersection  of  the  roads  near  said  Swan's  house,  to  the 
line  of  the  town  of  Andover,  in  Merrimack  River ;  thence  running 
by  the  said  line  of  Andover  westerly,  to  the  easterly  bank  of  Shaw- 
sheen  River,  at  the  point  of  starting  ; — is  hereby  incorporated  into  a 
town  by  the  name  of  Lawrence  :  and  the  said  town  of  Lawrence  is 
hereby  invested  with  all  the  privileges,  powers,  rights  and  immuni- 
ties, and  subject  to  all  the  duties  and  requisitions  to  which  other 
towns  are  entitled  and  subject,  by  the  constitution  and  laws  of  this 
Commonwealth. 

SECT.  2.  The  town  of  Lawrence  shall  make  and  maintain  all  bridges 
for  public  highways  over  the  Shawsheen  River,  so  far  as  the  easterly 
bank  of  said  river  is  a  boundary  of  the  said  town,  including  the  ma- 
sonry of  said  bridges  on  the  easterly  bank  thereof. 

SECT.  3.  The  inhabitants  of  the  said  town  of  Lawrence  shall  be 
holden  to  pay  all  arrears  of  taxes  which  have  been  legally  assessed 
upon  them  by  the  towns  of  Methuen  and  Andover,  respectively ;  and 
all  taxes  heretofore  assessed  and  not  collected,  shall  be  collected 


10  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

and  paid  to  the  treasurers  of  the  towns  of  Methuen  and  Andover, 
respectively  ;  in  the  same  manner  as  if  this  act  had  not  been  passed  ; 
and  also  their  proportion  of  county  and  state  taxes  that  may  be  as- 
sessed upon  them  previously  to  the  next  state  valuation — that  is  to 
say,  two-thirds  of  the  state  and  county  taxes  that  may  be  assessed 
upon  the  town  of  Methuen,  and  one-eighth  of  the  state  and  county 
taxes  that  may  be  assessed  on  the  town  of  Andover,  till  the  next 
state  valuation. 

SECT.  4.  The  parts  of  the  said  town  of  Lawrence  now  belonging 
to  the  towns  of  Methuen  and  Andover  for  the  purpose  of  electing 
state  officers,  senators,  representatives  to  congress,  and  electors  of 
president  and  vice  president  of  the  Uniied  States,  until  the  next  de- 
cennial census  shall  be  taken,  in  pursuance  of  the  i3th  article  of 
amendment  to  the  constitution  ;  and  the  meetings  for  the  choice  of 
such  representatives,  and  the  other  officers  aforesaid,  shall  be  called 
by  the  selectmen  of  the  said  towns,  respectively ;  the  selectmen  of 
Lawrence  shall  make  a  true  list  of  persons  belonging  to  the  territory 
of  each  of  said  towns  hereby  incorporated  into  the  town  of  Law- 
rence, qualified  to  vote  at  every  such  election,  and  the  same  shall  be 
taken  and  used  by  the  selectmen  of  said  respective  towns  for  such 
elections,  in  the  same  manner  as  if  prepared  by  themselves. 

SECT.  5.  The  said  towns  of  Methuen,  Andover  and  Lawrence 
shall  be  respectively  liable  for  the  support  of  all  who  now  do,  or 
shall  hereafter,  stand  in  need  of  relief  as  paupers,  whose  settlement 
was  gained  by,  or  derived  from,  a  residence  within  their  respective 
limits ;  and  the  said  town  of  Lawrence  shall,  within  one  year  from 
the  time  of  its  organization  under  this  act  pay  to  the  town  of  Me- 
thuen one  thousand  dollars  as  and  for  their  just  proportion  of  the 
debts  of  the  town  of  Methuen,  owing  at  the  time  of  the  passage  of 
this  act,  exclusive  of  the  amount  of  the  surplus  revenue  of  the 
United  States  in  the  treasury  of  the  town  of  Methuen ;  and  the  town 
of  Lawrence  shall  also  pay  two-thirds  of  the  amount  of  said  surplus 
revenue  whenever  its  repayment  shall  be  demanded  by  the  United 
States  according  to  law  ;  and  shall  also  pay  to  the  town  of  Methuen 
the  amount  that  said  town  shall  pay  for  building  Haverhill  street, 
so  called,  within  the  limits  of  said  town  of  Lawrence,  as  ordered  by 
the  county  commissioners  for  the  county  of  Essex. 


HISTORY   OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  II 

SECT.  6  Any  justice  of  the  peace  in  the  county  of  Essex  is  here- 
by authorized  to  issue  his  warrant  directed  to  any  principal  inhabi- 
tant of  the  town  of  Lawrence,  requiring  him  to  notify  and  warn  the 
inhabitants  thereof,  qualified  to  vote  in  town  affairs  to  meet  at  the 
time  and  place  appointed,  for  the  purpose  of  choosing  all  such  town 
officers  as  towns  are  by  law  authorized  and  required  to  choose  at 
their  annual  meetings  ;  and  such  justice,  or,  in  his  absence,  such 
principal  inhabitant  shall  preside  till  the  choice  of  a  moderator  in 
said  meeting. 

SECT.   7.     This  act  shall  take  effect  from  and  after  its  passage. 

Shortly  after  this  act  went  into  effect  the  necessary  steps  were  taken 
to  give  it  force,  and  on  the  2;th  of  April,  1847,  tne  new  town  was 
ushered  in,  and  officers  elected  to  discharge  the  duties  of  the  same, 
as  provided  by  law.  The  rapid  increase  of  population  soon  demand- 
ed further  legislation,  and  in  the  year  1853,  May  loth,  the  voters  of 
the  then  town  of  Lawrence  accepted  and  put  in  force  a  city  charter, 
which,  with  slight  changes,  remains  the  same  to  the  present  time. 


II. 

THE   MERRIMACK   RIVER. 


The  Merrimack  River  from  its  source  to  the  sea  has  a  fall  of  some- 
thing over  5,000  feet.  It  affords  therefore  a  vast  system  of  mill 
powers,  and  gives  aid  to  many  kinds  of  industries,  the  chief  being  the 
manufacture  of  cotton  and  woolen  fabrics.  The  amount  of  manu- 
facturing along  this  river  is  not  equalled  by  that  upon  any  other 
stream  in  the  world.  The  Merrimack  River  was  known  and  appre- 
ciated far  and  wide  by  the  aborigines  long  before  the  white  man 
bridled  and  harnessed  its  majestic  falls.  Nor  is  it  to  be  wondered 
that  they  prized  the  numerous  advantages  it  afforded.  Capt.  John 
Smith  is  given  credit  as  being  its  discoverer,  but  it  appears  that 
DeChamplain,  a  French  navigator,  on  the  seventeenth  of  July  1605, 
with  a  crew  of  twenty  sailors  and  several  French  gentlemen  were 
first  to  enter  the  bay  near  where  Newburyport  now  stands,  and  were 
therefore  really  the  discoverers  of  the  river.  No  permanent  settle- 
ment was  made,  however,  until  about  twenty  years  subsequent  to  this. 

The  Merrimack  River  has  its  source  far  up  in  the  White  Moun- 
tain region.  The  head  waters  are  known  as  the  eastern,  western 
and  middle  branches,  which  unite  in  the  town  of  Woodstock,  N.  H. 
The  eastern  branch  is  the  largest,  extending  back  from  this  place 
nearly  fifty  miles.  Few  people  have  undertaken  to  explore  its  head 
waters,  and  indeed  they  have  their  beginning  in  a  wilderness  of 
mountains  and  forests  very  little  frequented.  A  score  of  important 

12 


QUARTER-CENTENNIAL    HISTORY    OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  1 3. 

tributaries  find  their  way  into  it  in  its  flow  to  the  sea,  several  of  which 
have  a  history  of  their  own  of  no  mean  significance.  How  long  the 
Merrimack  River  has  flowed  substantially  in  its  present  channel  to 
the  sea,  of  course  it  is  impossible  to  conjecture.  J.  W.  Meader,  in 
his  book  on  the  "  Merrimack  River,"  says  :  "  Certain  it  is,  that  at 
sjme  period,  far  in  the  dim,  distant  past,  the  river  was  one  continu- 
ous chain  of  lakes,  who^e  barriers  being  worn  by  water,  ice,  and 
drifting  wood,  have  successively  given  way,  until  this  whole  system 
of  collected  waters  was  drained  and  ultimately  reduced  to  and  con- 
fined within  its  present  banks.  Extensive  alluvial  deposits  indicate 
the  former  character  of  these  waters,  and  their  location  and  dimen- 
sions can  still  be  distinctly  traced,  while  far  below  the  surface  are 
found  well-defined  vegetable  deposits,  logs  and  other  foreign  mat- 
ter brought  here  and  left,  perhaps  for  evidence  of  these  facts,  far  away 
from  the  present  channel  of  the  river.  If  more  proof  were  needed,  it 
is  supplied  by  the  peculiar  stratification  of  the  soil,  which  is  regarded 
by  scientific  men  and  geologists  as  conclusive  on  this  point."  But 
when  the  Merrimack  first  occupied  the  river  bed  substantially  as  at 
present,  geologists  do  not  attempt  to  say. 

Far  beyond  the  memory  of  man  or  historic  date,  the  Indians 
held  full  sway  upon  its  banks,  but  civilization  at  last  found  a  foothold 
here.  The  first  partial  survey  of  the  Merrimack  River,  disclosing 
its  inestimable  value  and  importance  for  manufacturing  purposes,  it 
may,  perhaps,  be  said  cast  the  die.  From  this  time  forth  the  red 
man  made  his  compulsory  bow  to  the  inexorable  logic  of  events,  and 
facing  westward  with  steady  advance, — his  speed  frequently  acceler- 
ated by  the  uncomfortable  and  dangerous  proximity  of  the  white 
man,  his  last  remaining  hope  to  reach  the  land  of  the  sunset, — he 
left  this  river  and  this  land,  the  home  of  his  boyhood  and  his  man- 
hood, his  only  patrimony,  and  the  sacred  resting  place  of  ancestral 
dust.  It  was  useless  for  him  to  struggle  against  the  decree  of  fate ; 
and  so  he  left  all  of  these,  and  the  sceptre  of  his  wilderness  empire 


14  (yjAHTER-CENTENNlAL   HISTORY  OF   LAWRENCE,    MASS. 

fell  from  his  grasp,  his  crown  tumbled,  his  ancient  po\ver  and  heredi- 
tary rule  and  supreme  kingly  prerogatives  were  stripped  from  him, 
and  he  was  sent  forth  a  beggar,  an  outcast  and  a  vagabond,  to  be  a 
stranger  in  a  strange  land.  Thus  departed  the  aboriginal  proprietor, 
and  the  march  of  intellect,  enterprise,  skill,  industry  and  progress 
supplanted  him. 

With  the  white  man  came  cultivation  and  improvement.  The  vig- 
orous stroke  of  the  woodman's  axe  resounded  through  the  forests, 
roads  were  made,  the  log-house  and  the  school-house  sprung  into  ex- 
istence almost  together,  the  little  church  reared  its  tapering  spire,  as 
if  pointing  put  to  sinful  man  the  way  to  heaven,  to  God.  The  sawmill 
creaked  and  grated  in  harsh,  unmusical  cadence  in  many  localities 
along  the  lesser  tributaries  of  the  Merrimack.  Hamlets  grew  to  vil- 
lages, villages  to  towns  and  towns  to  cities.  Skill,  labor  and 
capital,  that  all-powerful  triumvirate,  united  their  fortunes  and  inter- 
ests for  the  mutual  benefit  of  all.  The  pioneers  pushed  steadily  up 
the  river,  transforming  nature's  bounties  into  wealth  on  every  hand. 
Even  the  rough  uninviting  localities  at  length  became  the  most  fruit- 
ful vineyards.  Enterprises  sprung  up  involving  the  employment  of 
millions  of  capital  and  thousands  of  people,  as  if  by  magic.  Every 
valley  and  hill  within  the  radius  of  this  river's  salutary  influence  pro- 
duced its  complement  of  beautiful  and  noble  women,  as  well  as  great, 
good  and  brave  men ;  and  this  river  gave  to  the  manufacturers  along 
its  course  an  opulence  of  fame  for  the  unequalled  variety,  quality  and 
value  of  their  products,  which  is  the  property  and  just  pride  of  the 
nation. 


Ill 

THE  INDIANS. 


The  Indians  at  the  time  of  their  discovery  by  the  Europeans  were 
a  race  different  from  any  people  then  known.     They  were  wandering 
everywhere  through  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  country.     No  ac- 
curate   statement   can   be   given  of  their  numbers,  though  the  best 
authenticated  accounts  compute  the  number  in  New  England  at  the 
time  of  the  settlement  in  Jamestown,  Va.,  1607,  at  123,000,  but  in  the 
winter  of  1617,  three  years  before  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims,  the  plague 
or  some  other  mortal  disease,  broke  out  among  them  and  almost  depop- 
ulated the  country.     When  the  Pilgrims  landed  in  1620,  they  saw  but 
few  Indians  for  some  days  and  they  were  flying  from  them.    Greatly  to 
their  comfort  and  convenience  they  found    deserted  wigwams  and 
some  corn,  which  was  in  good  demand  among  the  immigrants.     The 
plague  that  had  two  or  three  years  previous  depopulated  the  country 
seems  to  have  been  providential  to  the  early  settlers.     The  number 
of  Indians  however  left  scattered  about  in  what  is  now  Massachu- 
setts was  not  much  less  than  10,000  or  12,000.     In  Rhode  Island 
about  8,000  and  in  New  Hampshire  about  4,000.     The  whole  num- 
ber of  warriors  in  New  England  is  estimated  at  12,000  at  the  time  of 
the  arrival  of  our  ancestors.     The  features  of  these  New   England 
Indians  were  good,  especially  those  of  the  women ;  their  hair  bright 
and  straight,  their  limbs  clean,  straight,  and  well  proportioned.     They 
were  quite  ingenious  in  their  way ;  were  quick  of  apprehension  ;  sud- 
den in  despatch  ;  subtle  in  their  dealings ;  ready  in  invention,  and  in 
labor  assiduous.     They  had  wigwams,  or  cabins,  to  protect  them  from 
the  weather.     These  were  built  by  uniting  poles  at  the  top,  and  in- 
serting them  in  the  ground  at  suitable  distance.     These  were  covered 

15 


1 6  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

with  bark,  boughs  of  trees,  or  skins  except  an  aperture  at  the  top  for 
smoke,  and  a  small  place  for  entrance  at  the  sides.  The  fire  was 
built  in  the  centre ;  the  ground  around  the  fire  was  covered  with 
mats,  skins  or  boughs,  as  they  could  afford.  They  used  no  chairs,  but 
sat  on  this  covering,  and  had  no  need  for  a  table.  They  slept  with 
their  feet  towards  the  fire.  A  whole  family,  and  sometimes  more, 
were  accommodated  in  one  of  these  cabins,  which  had  but  one  room. 
They  were  commonly  located  near  good  water.  They  had  skins  for 
clothing  when  the  English  came  among  them,  from  which  they  made 
moccasins  for  their  feet.  They  often  caught  fish  with  a  kind  of 
spear.  They  used  bows  and  arrows  for  hunting  and  for  defence. 
The  end  of  the  arrow  was  pointed  with  flint  stone.  These  points 
have  been  frequently  found  in  the  fields  in  this  vicinity  long  since  the 
Indians  departed.  They  made  canoes  of  bark  taken  from  large 
birch  trees.  This  was  sewed  together  with  fibres  or  roots.  It  was 
put  in  proper  shape  and  strengthened  by  ribs  or  thin  pieces  of  wood, 
and  a  rim,  like  the  top  of  a  basket,  was  fastened  all  around  it  and 
bound  with  tough  bark  or  fibres  of  roots.  It  was  daubed  with  pitch 
to  prevent  leaking.  With  these  canoes  they  could  pass  up  and  down 
or  across  the  rivers,  and  they  were  large  enough  to  carry  several  per- 
sons. They  were  light  and  might  be  carried  with  ease  around  water 
falls,  or  from  one  stream  to  another. 

The  Merrimack  River,  (Called  Menomack  by  the  Indians,  from 
Mena,  an  island,  and  awke,  a  place,  from  the  number  of  beautiful 
islands  in  the  river),  furnished  a  locality  greatly  admired  by  the  In- 
dians. They  were  certainly  great  admirers  of  the  beautiful  and  grand 
in  nature,  and  the  numerously  settled  localities  and  names  of  tribes 
upon  the  river  and  its  tributaries,  give  incontestible  proof  of  this. 
"As  the  artisan,  mechanic,  manufacturer  and  capitalist  of  modern 
times  learned  the  adaptation  and  capacity  of  this  river  as  a  motive 
power  and  congregated  about  its  falls, — constructing  dams  to  catch 
the  water  on  its  journey  down,  erecting  monster  mills  with  massive 


HISTORY    OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  17 

six-story  brick  walls,  building  populous  cities  and  beautiful  villages, 
fabricating  unsurpassed  cotton  and  woolen  goods,  machinery  and 
implements, —  sc  did  the  red  man  of  primitive  days  learn  the  pecu- 
liar fitness  of  this  river  for  supplying  his  necessities  and  wants,  equal- 
ly as  pressing  and  urgent  as  those  of  his  more  civilized  successors." 
Along  the  banks  of  the  river  in  this  vicinity  especially  on  the  Andover 
side  was  a  favorable  resort  for  their  mode  of  life.  There  was  plenty 
of  fish  in  the  river  and  numerous  streams  running  into  it ;  the  light 
land  near  the  water  was  suitable  for  the  cultivation  of  corn  and 
beans,  and  the  forests  afforded  abundant  game.  In  the  fishing  sea- 
son the  Indians  caught  a  great  many  fish  by  a  sort  of  scoop  net ; 
only  the  salmon  were  kept  for  food  while  the  remainder  were  used 
for  manure  on  the  land.  It  was  a  festival  season  with  them ;  the 
squaws  preparing  fish  for  the  repast,  for  preservation,  and  for  barter, 
while  the  night  was  passed  in  feasting  and  dancing.  At  these  fishing- 
seasons,  lovers'  vows  were  plighted,  marriages  were  consummated, 
speeches  made  and  treaties  formed.  Particular  periods  and  impor- 
tant events  were  noted  and  celebrated  among  them  with  great  cere- 
mony. Among-the  established  institutions  or  customs  may  be  men- 
tioned the  Recruiting,  or  Fire  Brand  Dance.  When  the  declaration 
of  war  had  been  announced  by  the  chief,  a  great  fire  was  built  of 
brushwood,  pine  knots,  and  sticks  near  the  wigwam,  and — 

By  the  red  sun's  parting  glance, 

They  gathered  for  the  warrior's  dance : 

First  in  a  circle  wide  they  stand, 

Each  with  an  arrow  in  his  hand ; 

Then  crouching,  and  with  bended  bow, 

They  step  to  measure  light  and  slow ; 

Now  quicker  with  a  savage  flurry, 

They  circle  round  and  hurry,  hurry, 

Now  the  ring  breaks,  and  leaping,  yelling, 

In  one  discordant  chorus  swelling ; 

Then  tomahawks  are  brandished  high  ; 

Their  shouts  re-echo  from  the  sky  ; 

Their  blood  stained  nostrils  opened  Wide, 

Their  foaming  lips  all  dark  and  gory, 

Make  up  the  red  man's  scene  of  glory. — Stark. 


1 8  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

At  the  time  of  the  first  settlements  on  the  Merrimack  River,  the 
most  powerful  and  important  tribe  along  its  banks  were  the  Penna- 
cooks.  Their  headquarters  were  on  the  river  near  where  Concord, 
New  Hampshire,  is  now  built.  Their  great  chief  was  Passaconnavvay. 
He  had  conquered  and  subdued  all  the  tribes  on  the  river,  and  a}l  in 
some  manner  paid  tribute  to  him.  The  Agawams  inhabited  the  river 
East  below  tide  water,  having  their  homes  from  the  Merrimack  to 
the  Cape.  The  Pentuckets  owned  and  occupied  the  Merrimack 
from  "  Little  River  "  in  Haverhill  to  Pawtucket  Falls  at  Lowell,  then 
came  the  Wamesits,  Nashua,  Souhegan,  Namoskeag,  Winnipesaukee, 
and  several  other  tribes.  There  is  no  evidence  showing  that  any 
particular  tribe  had  a  home  in  Methuen,  but  it  is  certain  that 
Bodwells  Falls,  now  Lawrence  dam,  and  the  shores  of  the  Spicket 
were  favorite  resorts,  especially  in  the  fishing  season.  On  the  An- 
dover  side,  a  company  of  the  Pentuckets  with  a  chief  known  as 
Roger,  had  a  settlement  near  Cochickewick  Brook.  Some  writers 
have  located  the  ancient  seat  of  the  Agawams  at  Bodwells  Falls,  and 
at  this  place  came  to  reside  the  Princess  of  the  House  of  Penna- 
cook,  the  daughter  of  Passaconnaway,  who  was  wedded  to  Winne- 
purket,  a  sachem  of  Saugus.  "  The  Poet  of  the  Merrimack  "  has 
commemorated  this  event  by  a  poem  in  which  he  characterizes  the* 
groom  as  the  "  dog  of  the  marshes."  The  union  was  not  a  happy 
one,  and  an  estrangement  soon  sprung  up  which  came  near  resulting 
in  war,  and  likely  would,  had  not  the  "  pale  faces  "  appeared  upon 
the  stage  about  this  time. 

As  has  been  above  stated,  the  great  warrior  and  chieftain  of  the 
Merrimack  at  the  time  of  the  first  settlement  was  Passaconnaway, 
whose  home  was  well  up  the  head  waters  of  the  river.  He  was  a 
friend  to  the  white  settlers  and  desired  peace,  and  the  residents  along 
the  river  were  never  disturbed  by  Indian  depredations  during  his  life. 
He  resigned  his  power  as  Grand  Sachem  of  the  tribes  in  1660  to 
Wonolancet,  about  twenty  years  after  the  first  white  settlements  upon 


HISTORY   OF    LAWRENCE,  MASS.  19 

the  river.  His  successor  afterwards  became  converted  to  Christianity 
by  the  great  Indian  missionary  Eliot,  but  notwithstanding  this,  he 
and  his  tribe  received  most  cruel  and  inhuman  treatment  at  the 
hands  of  the  approaching  settlers.  The  farewell  address  of  Pas- 
sacpnnaway,  who  lived  to  be  over  80  years  old,  well  conveys  to  the 
reader  of  to-day  the  feelings  that  inspired  the  breasts  of  the  aborig- 
ines. On  a  given  day,  he  called  around  him  the  leading  warriors, 
chiefs  and  principals  of  his  tribes  and  thus  addressed  them  : — 

"  Hearken  to  the  words  of  your  father.  I  am  an  old  oak  that  has 
withstood  the  storms  of  more  than  a  hundred  winters.  Leaves  and 
branches  have  been  stripped  from  me  by  winds  and  frosts ;  my  eyes 
are  dim — my  limbs  totter — I  must  soon  fall.  But  when  young  and 
sturdy,  when  my  bow — no  young  man  of  the  Pennacooks  could  bend 
it  ;  when  my  arrows  would  pierce  a  deer  at  a  hundred  yards,  and  I 
could  bury  my  hatchet  in  a  sapling  to  the  eye,  no  wigwam  had  so  many 
furs,  no  pole  so  many  scalps  as  Passaconnaway's.  Then  I  delighted 
in  war.  The  whoop  of  the  Pennacooks  was  heard  upon  the  Mohawk, 
and  no  voice  so  loud  as  Passaconnaway's.  The  scalps  upon  my  pole 
in  the  wigwam  told  the  story  of  Mohawk  suffering.  The  English  came, 
they  seized  our  lands.  I  sat  me  down  at  Pennacook.  »  They  followed 
upon  my  footsteps.  I  made  war  upon  them,  but  they  fought  me  with 
fire  and  thunder ;  my  young  men  were  swept  down  before  me  when 
no  one  was  near  them.  I  tried  sorcery  against  them ;  but  they  still 
increased,  and  prevailed  over  me  and  mine,  and  I  gave  place  to  them 
and  retired  to  my  beautiful  island  of  Natticook.  I  that  can  make  the 
dry  leaf  turn  green  and  live  again, — I  that  can  take  the  rattlesnake  in 
my  palm  as  I  would  a  worm,  without  harm, — I,  who  had  communica- 
tion with  the  Great  Spirit,  dreaming  and  awake, — I  am  powerless  be- 
fore the  pale-faces.  The  oak  will  soon  break  before  the  whirlwind  ;  it 
shivers  and  shakes  even  now  ;  soon  its  trunk  will  be  prostrate  ;  the  ant 
and  the  worm  will  sport  upon  it !  Then  think,  my  children  of  what  I 
say.  I  commune  with  the  Great  Spirit.  He  whispers  me  now  : — 

'"Tell  your  people,  peace,  peace  is  the  only  hope  of  your  race.  I 
have  given  fire  and  thunder  to  the  pale-faces  for  weapons.  I  have 
made  them  plentier  than  the  leaves  of  the  forest,  and  still  shall  they 
increase  !  These  meadows  they  shall  turn  with  the  plow  ;  these  forests 
shall  fall  by  the  axe  ;  the  pale-faces  shall  live  upon  your  hunting 


2O  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL    HISTORY    OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS. 

grounds,  and  make  their  villages  upon  your  fishing-places.'  The 
Great  Spirit  says  this,  and  it  must  be  so  !  We  are  few  and  powerless 
before  them  !  We  must  bend  before  the  storm  !  The  wind  blows 
hard  !  The  old  oak  trembles  !  Its  branches  are  gone  !  Its  sap  is 
frozen  !  It  bends  !  It  falls  !  Peace,  peace  with  the  white  men,  is 
the  command  of  the  Great  Spirit,  and  the  wish — the  last  wish — of 
Passaconnaway. ' ' 


IV. 
EARLY  SETTLERS. 


In  the  year  1640  eight  men  belonging  to  the  colony  at  Newbury, 
named  William  White,  Samuel  Gile,  James  Davis,  Henry  Palmer,  John 
Robinson,  Christopher  Massey,  John  Williams  and  Richard  Littlehale, 
together  with  four  men  from  the  Ipswich  settlement,  named  Abraham 
Tyler,  Daniel  Ladd,  Joseph  Merrie  and  Jacob  Clement  being  "  strait- 
ened "  for  tillage  and  grass  land,  proceeded  up  the  Merrimack  River 
as  far  as  "  Little  River,"  a  tributary,  that  rises  in  Plaistow  and  empties 
into  the  Merrimack  a  few  miles  below  Mitchell's  Falls.  Here  they 
founded  a  settlement  and  called  it  Haverhill.  They  adopted  the  same 
course  towards  the  Indians  as  did  other  New  England  settlers — that 
of  purchasing  of  the  rightful  owners,  as  near  as  could  be  ascertained, 
the  land  they  wished  to  occupy.  A  few  of  the  remnants  of  the 
Pentucket  tribe  were  scattered  about  this  locality.  The  settlers 
sought  out  their  chiefs,  and  two  years  after,  the  following  deed  was 
drawn,  signed  and  acknowledged,  which  is  now  in  possession  of  the 
city  of  Haverhill : 

"  KNOW  ALL  MEN  BY  THESE  PRESENTS,  that  we  Passaquo  and  Sag- 
gahew,  with  yc  consent  of  Passaconnaway,  have  sold  unto  yc  inhabi- 
tants of  Pentuckett  all  ye  lands  we  have  in  Pentuckett ;  that  is  eyght 
myles  in  length  from  yc  little  Rivver  in  Pentuckett  Westward  ;  Six 
myles  in  length  from  y°  aforesaid  Rivver  northward ;  And  six  myles  in 
length  from  y°  aforesaid  Rivver  Eastward,  with  ye  Ileand  and  ye  rivver 

21 


22  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

that  yc  ileand  stand  in  as  far  in  length  as  ye  land  lyes  by  as  formerly 
expressed  ;  that  is  fourteen  myles  in  length  ; 

And  wee  ye  said  Passaquo  and  Sagga  Hew,  with  yc  consent  of 
Passaconnaway,  have  sold  unto  ye  said  inhabitants  all  ye  right  wee  or 
any  of  us  have  in  yc  said  ground  and  Ileand  and  Rivver ; 

And  we  warrant  it  against  all  or  any  other  Indians  whatsoever  unto 
ye  said  Inhabitants  of  Pentuckett,  and  to  their  heirs  and  assigns  forever. 
Dated  ye  fifteenth  day  of  november  Ann  Dom  1642. 

Witness  our  hands  and  scales  to  this  bargayne  of  sale  yc  day  and 
year  above  writted  (in  yc  presents  of  us)  we  ye  said  Passaquo  and 
Sagga  Hew  have  received  in  hand,  for  &  in  consideration  of  y1'  same 
three  pounds  &  ten  shillings. 

JOHN  WARD, 

ROBERT  CLEMENTS,  ^ACcArvrTn  7?  MAR,KE 

TPTQTP  AM    rnFTTTM  PAbbAQUU  (a  bow  and  arrow) 

I  Rib  1  RAM   LOJ^-bllN,  PASSAQUO.    [SEAL.] 

HUGH  SHERRATT, 

WILLIAM  WHITE,  ,_„  YE  MARKE  OF 

SAGGA  HEW  (a  bow  anrt  arrow) 
ye  sign  of  («  SAGGA  HEW.  [SEAL." 

THOMAS  DAVIS. 

It  is  impossible  to  determine  with  any  degree  of  defmiteness  the 
boundaries  of  the  territory  intended  to  be  conveyed  by  this  deed,  nor 
is  it  to  be  supposed  that  the  purchasers  cared  much,  except  that  they 
got  possession  of  the  land  on  the  Merrimack  for  a  dozen  miles.  More 
than  twenty  years  elapsed  before  any  survey  was  attempted.  In  the 
year  1666  the  General  Court  appointed  a  committee  to  "run  the 
bounds  of  the  town  of  Haverhill."  They  began  at  the  meeting-house, 
which  was  situated  about  a  half-mile  east  of  Little  River,  and  ran  due 
west  eight  miles  and  reared  "  a  heap  of  stones,"  which  point  must  be 
a  little  west  of  Salem  Village.  They  then  ran  from  that  point  due  south 
till  they  struck  the  Merrimack  River  near  Pine  Island,  a  little  way  from 
the  Bartlett  Farm,  three  miles  above  this  city.  Thence  northeasterly 
by  the  river,  till  they  reached  the  point  of  beginning.  The  land  on 
the  northwest,  between  Methuen  and  Dracut,  a  strip  about  a  mile  and 
a  half  wide,  was  deeded  by  the  General  Court  to  individuals. 


ISAAC   TEWKSBURY, 

Physician  and  Surgeon  ;  office  and  residence,  295  Essex  Street.  Born  at 
West  Newbury,  Jan.  13,  1795  ;  brought  up  on  a  farm  and  educated  at 
Atkinson  Academy  and  Hebron  Academy,  Oxford,  Me.  Was  clerk  in 
stores  and  offices  at  Newburyport,  Portland  and  New  York  for  a  short 
time,  then  studied  medicine  with  Drs.  Robinson  of  Newbury,  Tewks- 
bury  of  Hebron,  Maine,  Little  of  Gloucester,  Me.,  and  Kittredge  of 
Andover.  Commenced  practice  at  Hampstead,  N.  H.,  1817,  remain- 
ing 30  years  in  practice  without  vacation  or  sickness.  Came  to  Law- 
rence in  1847.  Married  Sabra  Foster,  at  Hudson,  N.  H.,  1822,  and 
Widow  Harriet  W.  Smith,  Lawrence,  for  his  second  wife,  1859  ;  has 
six  children.  Is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  church,  Hampstead. 
Dr.  Tewksbury  is  the  oldest  man  in  active  business  in  Lawrence  and 
has  been  in  the  continuous  practice  of  his  profession  sixty-one  years. 


HISTORY    OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  23 

*  The  uplands  at  that  time  were  mostly  covered  by  a  heavy  growth 
of  timber,  except  an  occasional  spot  burned  over  by  fires  set  by  the 
Indians.  The  meadows  were,  many  of  them,  cleared  and  covered  with 
a  tall  dense  growth  of  grass.  The  Indians  were  accustomed  to  burn 
the  grass  in  the  fall,  that  they  might  more  easily  capture  the  deer  re- 
sorting to  them  to  feed  upon  the  young  grass  in  the  spring.  These 
meadows  appear  to  have  been  much  sought  after  by  the  early  settlers, 
who  obtained  from  them  the  principal  subsistence  for  their  cattle. 
They  cut  and  stacked  the  hay  in  the  summer,  and  in  winter  drew  it 
home  on  sleds.  An  early  writer  says  of  Haverhill :  "The  people  were 
wholly  bent  to  improve  their  labor  in  tilling  the  earth  and  keeping  of 
cattle,  whose  yearly  increase  encourages  them  to  spend  their  days  in 
those  remote  parts.  The  constant  penetrating  into  this  wilderness 
hath  caused  the  wild  and  uncouth  wood  to  be  filled  with  frequented 
ways,  and  the  large  rivers  to  be  overlaid  with  bridges  passable 
both  for  horse  and  foot ;  this  town  is  of  large  extent,  there  being 
an  ovenveaning  desire  in  most  men  after  meadow  land,"  &c.  The 
records  of  the  town  of  Haverhill  show  that  no  one  was  admitted  to  the 
rights  and  privileges  of  the  colony  unless  first  voted  in  by  the  town. 
The  lands  were  divided  among  the  inhabitants  in  accordance  with 
a  vote  "That  he  who  had  ,£200  should  have  twenty  acres  for  his  house 
lot,  and  every  one  under  that  sum  to  have  ten  acres  proportioned  for 
his  house  lot,  together  with  meadow  and  common  and  planting  ground 
proportionately." 

Lot-layers  were  chosen  by  the  town  to  divide  the  land  among  the 
inhabitants  as  it  was  cleared  up  or  became  accessible.  From  this  mode 
of  division  it  happened  that  one  man  would  own  a  number  of  small 
lots  scattered  over  the  whole  town.  It  is  now  very  difficult  to  exactly 
locate  the  lots  as  they  are  recorded  in  the  Haverhill  records,  because 
they  were  usually  bounded  only  by  marked  trees.  These  descriptions 
show  that  some  of  our  local  names  were  of  very  ancient  date.  In 

*  Hown's  Ilictory  of  Me  thuen. 


24  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

1673,  thirty-two  acres  of  land  were  laid  off  to  John  Clements,  bound- 
ed by  "Sowe's  Brook."  In  1678,  "eleven  score  acres  of  upland" 
were  laid  off  to  James  Davis,  Sen.,  bounded  on  the  west  by  Spicket 
River,  Spicket  Falls  being  the  southwest  bound.  In  1683,  there  is 
a  record  of  a  similar  lot  lying  on  the  southerly  side,  running  to 
"  Bloody  Brook  on  the  east,  and  taken  up  by  James  Davis,  Jr.  These 
lots  included  the  land  now  occupied  by  the  east  part  of  Methuen  vil- 
lage. 

In  1658  five  acres  of  meadow  were  laid  off  in  "Strongwater,"  near 
a  "little  pond."  In  1666  a  parcel  of  meadow  was  laid  out  to  Mat- 
thias Button,  on  the  south  side  of  "Spicket  Hill."  In  1659  there  was 
a  division  of  the  land  west  of  the  Spicket  River,  with  a  provision  that 
"if  more  than  two  acres  meadow  be  found  in  any  one  lot  it  shall  re- 
main to  the  town.  In  the  same  year  there  is  a  record  of  the  laying  off 
three  acres  of  land  in  "Mistake  Meadow"  in  the  west  part  of  Haver- 
hill,  whence  it  is  concluded  the  name  originated  in  somebody's  blunder, 
and  has  become  "Mystic."  The  distribution  of  common  lands  \vas 
continued  from  time  to  time,  until  finally,  after  much  contention  be- 
tween the  old  settlers  and  new  comers,  the  "  Proprietors,"  or  owners 
of  the  common  land,  organized  separately  from  the  town  and  disposed 
of  the  remaining  land  as  they  saw  fit.  David  Nevins,  Esq.,  of  Me- 
thuen, has  in  his  possession  a  grant  from  the  "proprietors,"  of  the 
islands  in  the  Spicket  above  the  falls,  to  Asa  and  Robert  Swan,  for 
-£2  ios.,  and  bearing  the  date  of  1721. 

No  record  can  be  found  showing  when  the  first  settlement  was  made 
within  the  limits  of  Methuen,  or  who  made  it.  It  is  certain  that  the 
east  and  south  parts  of  the  town,  near  the  river,  were  first  occupied, 
doubtless  because  they  were  nearer  the  villages  of  Haverhill  and 
Andover.  It  is  stated  by  Asa  Simonds,  Esq.,  that  when  repairing  the 
old  "Bodwell  house" — now  in  Lawrence — some  years  ago,  a  brick 
was  found  bearing  the  date  1660,  which  had  been  marked  upon  it 


ARTEMAS  W.   STEARNS, 

Dry  Qoods  Dealer,  309  Essex  St.,  the  first  dry  goods  dealer  in  the 
city.  Residence,  No.  7  Lowell  Street.  He  came  to  Lawrence  in 
1846,  from  Methuen.  Born  at  Hill,  N.  H.,  1816.  Educated  at  acad- 
emies in  New  Market  and  Nashua.  Mr.  Stearns  had  a  store  in  a  brick 
block  on  Amesbury  St.,  two  years ;  on  Merchants'  Row,  three  years  ; 
where  Taylor  &  Dow  now  occupy,  three  years.  Built  his  present  stcre 
in  1853  ;  enlarged  in  1877-8.  Mr.  Stearns  has  the  largest  dry 
goods  store  in  the  county ;  employs  75  hands  in  its  various  depart- 
ments. He  has  also  a  farm  of  60  acres  on  Lawrence  St.  Is  presi- 
dent of  the  Lawrence  National  Bank  ;  treasurer  of  the  Wright  Manuf  g 
Co. ;  director  and  heaviest  stockholder  in  the  M.  V.  H.  R.  R.,  trustee 
Broadway  Savings  Bank,  and  member  board  of  investment.  Married 
Lydia  Searles  of  Nashua,  N.  H. ;  no  children.  Attends  Central 
Congregational  Church. 


HISTORY    OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  25 

before  the  brick  was  burnt.     This  would  seem  to  indicate  that  a  house 
\va.-5  built  in  the  neighborhood  near  that  date. 

It  is  not  unlikely  that  further  inquiry  may  fix  the  date  and  place  of 
the  first  settlement  here  with  considerable  certainty.  It  seems  doubt- 
ful whether  there  were  many  settlers  in  Methuen  until  near  the  time 
it  was  set  off  from  Haverhill.  It  is  likely  that  the  Indian  troubles 
which  extended  over  many  years  previous  to  1 700,  seriously  checked, 
if  they  did  not  entirely  prevent,  the  settlement  on  farms.  Andover 
and  Haverhill  were  made  frontier  towns  by  act  of  General  Court,  and 
both  towns  suffered  severely  during  the  Indian  war.  But  there 
is  no  record  of  any  Indian  attack  upon  settlers  living  upon  territory 
which  afterwards  became  Methuen.  There  were  many  attacks  on  the 
scattered  settlers  in  West  Haverhill  and  in  Andover,  and  if  there  had 
been  many  inhabitants  in  Methuen,  it  is  hardly  probable  that  the 
Indians  would  have  passed  them  by. 

In  1722,  a  petition  was  presented  to  the  town  of  Haverhill  by  per- 
sons living  in  what  is  now  Methuen,  to  be  set  off  as  a  separate  town 
or  parish.  This  petition  was  not  granted.  The  next  year  Joshua  Swan 
and  26  others,  with  shrewd  foresight,  petitioned  the  town  of  Haver- 
hill to  "  set  off  fifty  or  sixty  acres  of  land  southwest  of  Bare  Meadow, 
together  with  a  piece  of  land  lying  on  a  hill  commonly  called  Meeting 
House  Hill  in  times  past,  reserved  by  our  forefathers  for  the  use  of  the 
ministry,  might  in  hard  times  make  a  convenient  parsonage,  if  by  the 
blessing  of  God  the  gospel  might  so  flourish  amongst  us,  and  we  grow 
so  prosperous  as  to  be  able  to  maintain  and  carry  on  the  gospel  min- 
istry amongst  us."  This  petition  was  granted  at  the  next  town  meet- 
ing, but  it  did  not  serve  to  make  the  petitioners  less  intent  upon  a 
separation.  Soon  after,  Lieut.  Stephen  Barker  and  other  inhabitants 
of  the  western  part  of  Haverhill,  petitioned  the  General  Court  for  an 
act  to  incorporate  them  into  a  new  town.  The  act  passed  in  Decem- 
ber, 1725,  and  was  soon  carried  into  effect. 


26  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

Unfortunately  at  the  outset,  a  bitter  quarrel  sprang  up  concerning 
the  location  of  the  meeting-house.  On  the  28th  of  May,  1726,  a 
meeting  was  called  to  "prefix"  a  place  whereon  to  build  a  meeting- 
house. Twenty-eight  persons  voted  in  favor  of  locating  the  house 
"between  James  Davis's  and  Samuel  Smith's  house"  (Powder  House 
Hill,)  twenty-two  entered  their  "dissent  against  the  meeting-house 
being  carried  from  the  meeting-house  land  or  hill,  so  called," — the  land 
which  had  been  granted  by  Haverhill  two  years  before — and  supported 
their  "dissent"  by  a  quaint  and  vigorous  argument.  The  dispute  waxed 
hot,  meeting  after  meeting  was  held,  votes  to  provide  labor  and  ma- 
terial were  carried  and  reconsidered,  but  the  majority  finally  prevailed 
and  the  new  meeting-house  was  raised  and  boarded  on  "Powder  House 
hill."  The  minority,  however,  were  determined  not  to  be  beaten, 
and  petitioned  the  General  Court  to  reverse  the  popular  decision. 
The  committee  appointed  by  the  Court  to  visit  the  place  concluded 
that  the  parsonage  lot  'was  the  properest  place  for  the  meeting-house 
to  stand,'  so  the  minority  were  victorious,  and  in  May,  1727,  the  town 
voted  to  remove  the  frame  to  the  place  where  the  Court  ordered  it 
should  stand. 

The  town  records  show  that  the  Sunday  services,  as  well  as  the 
town  meetings,  were  held  at  the  house  of  Asie  Swan  until  the  meeting 
house  was  ready  for  occupancy.  Asie  Swan  seems  to  have  been  a 
man  'prominent  in  those  days,'  and  his  house  is  said  to  have  been 
situated  a  little  east  .of  Prospect  hill.  The  meeting-house  was  "forty 
feet  long,  thirty  feet  wide,  and  twenty  feet  stud."  There  was  but  one 
pew,  and  that  for  the  minister's  family,  the  congregation  generally 
being  seated  on  benches.  There  were  no  means  of  heating  the  house 
in  cold  weather,  until  within  the  recollection  of  persons  now  living, 
and  in  the  cold  winter  mornings  the  humble  worshipers  must  have 
needed  a  fiery  discourse  to  make  them  comfortable.  It  is  said  that 
there  was  a  tavern  in  those  days  on  the  "  Frye  place  "  to  which  the 
meeting  goers  usually  resorted  at  noon,  where  they  found  a  kettle  of 


JAMES   DAY   HERRICK, 

Boot  and  Shoe  Merchant,  139  Essex  St.  Residence,  356  Haverhill 
St.,  corner  of  Franklin  St.  Has  been  a  resident  of  Lawrence  from  its 
organization.  Was  born  in  Deny,  N.  H.,  April  20,  1810.  Worked 
on  his  father's  farm  until  nineteen  years  of  age.  Attended  school  at 
South  Reading,  Phillips  Academy  at  Andover,  and  Dartmouth  College, 
Hanover,  N.  H.,  five  years  and  one  half.  Taught  district  school  until 
1846,  when  he  commenced  taking  toll  at  the  Andover  bridge.  Mar- 
ried Miss  Louisa  Robinson  May  1 7,  1848,  and  continued  in  the  employ 
of  the  Andover  Bridge  Co.  twenty-two  years,  during  which  time  he 
was  frequently  elected  to  the  most  responsible  offices  in  the  gift  of  the 
city  :  Chief  of  Police,  City  Assessor,  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Fire  De- 
partment, member  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  but  oftener  as  one  of 
the  Board  of  School  Committee. 


HISTORY   OF   LAWRENCE,    MASS.  27 

hot  water   ready,  and  plenty  of  spiritual  comfort  less  etherial  than 
that  which  they  received  within  the  sacred  edifice. 

The  first  road  laid  out  by  the  Town  of  Methuen  extended  from 
somewhere  on  "  Hawkes  Meadow  brook  to  James  Howe's  well,"  and 
was  probably  a  part  of  Howe  Street  north  of  the  Taylor  farm.  The 
records  of  the  town  of  Haverhill  show  that  previous  to  that  time  a 
large  number  of  town  ways  had  been  laid  out  in  the  west  part  of  the 
town — probably  for  convenience  in  reaching  the  meadows  and  wood- 
land. 

The  roads  of  those  days  were  probably  little  better  than  an  ordi- 
nary cart  path  in  the  woods.  Occasionally  may  be  found  a  record  of 
money  paid  to  the  owners  of  land  over  which  a  public  way  passed, 
but  no  money  appears  to  have  been  paid  by  the  town  for  building. 
In  fact  scarcely  more  than  a  path  was  necessary,  for  there  were  no 
vehicles  but  ox  carts  and  sleds.  People  traveled  on  horseback  and 
went  to  market  with  their  goods  in  saddlebags.  Indeed  it  is  said  by 
persons  now  living  in  this  vicinity  that  within  their  recollection  there 
were  no  wagons  of  any  kind,  or  pleasure  carriages  except  a  few 
chaises,  which  were  introduced  about  the  beginning  of  the  century. 

An  ol?P tax  book  among  the  town  records,  shows  that  the  number  of 
persons  taxed  in  Methuen  in  1740,  was  165,  of  which  71  lived  in  that 
part  of  the  town  cut  off  by  the  New  Hampshire  line,  and  85  in  the 
present  limits  of  Methuen. 

The  fact  that  strikes  one  most  forcibly  in  reading  over  the  early  town 
records,  is  the  prominence  given  to  religious  observances.  The  chief 
and  only  reason  given  for  setting  off  the  new  town  was  that  the  people 
might  more  easily  attend  the  public  worship  of  God.  The  first  business 
done  was  to  provide  themselves  a  minister  and  place  of  public  worship. 
Their  principal  money  tax  was  for  support  of  those  objects.  Nothing 
could  show  more  plainly  that  the  hardy  pioneers  of  Methuen  were  of 
genuine  Puritan  stock.  Whatever  may  be  thought  of  Puritan  austerity 
and  fanaticism  and  intolerance,  one  cannot  help  admiring  the  indomi- 


28  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

table  energy,  the  iron  will,  and  lofty  purpose  of  those  men  who  braved 
the  dangers  of  hostile  Indians,  and  suffered  the  privations  of  the  wil- 
derness, that  they  might  worship  God  in  their  own  way.  The  old 
papers  which  have  been  preserved,  the  town  records,  and  the  old  tra- 
ditions all  show  that  the  first  settlers  in  Methuen  were  men  of  rugged, 
vigorous  intellect,  accustomed  to  think  for  themselves,  and  not  afraid 
to  express  their  opinions. 

The  number  of  inhabitants  in  Methuen  in  1776,  according  to  the 
Colonial  Census,  was  1326.  The  old  tax  book  of  that  year  gives  the 
names  of  252  poll-tax  payers*  This  was  at  the  breaking  out  of  the 
revolutionary  war,  and  let  it  be  remembered  that  Methuen  at  the  first 
call  for  soldiers  to  protect  themselves  against  the  British,  with  only  252 
poll-tax  payers,  sent  156  men.  They  had  no  opportunity  to  meet  the 
red  coats  till  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  at  which  the  Methuen  com- 
pany, under  Capt.  John  Davis,  bore  an  important  part. 

Up  to  the  year  1 793  there  were  no  bridges  across  the  Merrimack 
River  in  this  vicinity,  and  ferries  furnished  the  only  means  of  crossing. 
There  were  five  of  these  as  follows  :  "Gage's  Ferry,"  near  the  house 
of  Samuel  Cross;  "Swan's  Ferry,"  at  Wingate's  Farm;  "Marston's 
Ferry,"  at  the  alms  house,  Lawrence  ;  "Bodwell's  Ferry,"  at  the  Law- 
ence  pumping  station  ;  "  Harris'  Ferry,"  a  little  east  of  Dracut  line. 

The  territory  now  comprising  Ward  Six,  south  side  of  the  river,  was 
formerly  a  part  of  Andover.  The  first  settlers  of  this  town  did  not 
migrate  up  the  Meirimack.  In  1634,  four  years  after  the  first  plant- 
ing of  Charleston  and  Boston,  those  of  Newtovvn,  now  Cambridge, 
complained  of  straitness  for  want  of  land,  and  desired  leave  of  the 
Court  to  look  out  for  enlargement,  or  removal,  which  was  granted. 
They  then  "  Sent  men  to  Merrimack  to  find  a  fit  place  to  transplant 
themselves."  In  the  same  year  the  following  order  of  the  Court 
was  passed  : 

"  It  is  ordered  that  the  land  about  Cochickewick  be  reserved  for 
an  inland  plantation,  and  whosoever  shall  go  there  to  inhabit  shall 


AARON    ORDWAY, 

Was  born  at  Hebron,  N.  H.,  May  4,  1814.  Came  to  Lawrence  Mar., 
1847,  establishing  himself  in  business  as  an  apothecary  and  in  practice 
as  a  physician.  This  business  and  profession  he  followed  for  about 
twenty-four  years.  Eight  years  since  he  retired  from  practice,  but  is 
active  as  president  and  a  principal  owner  and  director  in  Brown's 
Lumber  Co.  of  Whitefield,  N.  H.  He  is  also  president  of  the  newly 
organized  Whitefield  &  Jefferson  R.  R.  Co.  His  father  was  a  hardy 
pioneer  settler  of  Hebron,  N.  H.,  living  to  the  ripe  age  of  93.  His 
uncle,  John  Ordway,  was  clerk  and  historian  of  the  Lewis  and  Clark 
U.  S.  Exploring  Expedition.  In  early  life  Dr.  Ordway  had  only  the 
advantages  of  a  common  school  education,  and  for  several  years  be- 
fore coming  to  Lawrence  was  engaged  in  mercantile  business,  and  for 
three  years  in  the  practice  of  medicine.  Alderman  in  1857  and  1858. 
Has  been  twice  married  and  has  four  children. 


HISTORY    OF    LAWRENCE,  MASS.  2() 

have  three  years  immunity  from  all  taxes,  levies,  public  charges  and 
services  whatsoever,  military  discipline  only  excepted." 

It  is  difficult  to  ascertain  the  time  of  the  first  settlement  in  Ando- 
ver.  The  land  was  purchased  of  Cutshamache,  the  Sagamore  of 
Massachusetts,  by  Mr.  Woodbridge,  for  six  pounds  and  a  coat  in  be- 
half of  the  inhabitants.  This  purchase  was  confirmed  by  the  Court 
in  1646.  The  first  settlements  were  made  upon  the  Cochickewick 
and  Shawsheen.  All  of  the  early  settlers  were  born  in  Great  Britain 
and  most  of  them  in  England.  On  a  leaf  of  the  town  records  of 
Andover  the  following  list  is  written  in  ancient  hand,  without  date, 
but  probably  when  most  of  the  first  settlers  were  living : 

"  The  names  of  all  the  householders  in  order  as  they  came  to  town  : 
Mr.  Bradstreet,  John  Osgood,  Joseph  Parker,  Richard  Barker,  John 
Stjvens,  Nicholas  Holt,  Benj.  Woodbridge,  John  Frye,  Edmund 
Faulkner,  Robert  Barnard,  Daniel  Poor,  Nathan  Parker,  Henry 
Jaques,  John  Aslett,  Richard  Blake,  William  Ballard,  John  Lovejoy, 
Thomas  Poor,  George  Abbott,  John  Russ,  Andrew  Allen,  Andrew 
Foster,  Thomas  Chandler." 

Such  portions  of  land  as  were  necessary  for  the  use  of  the  settlers 
were,  from  time  to  time,  set  off  to  individuals  in  proportion  to  the 
expenses  or  taxes  paid  by  each,  and  their  several  divisions  recorded 
in  the  town  book.  When  a  person  moved  into  town  for  the  purpose 
of  settling,  land  was  sold  to  him  by  the  town  and  he  was  received  as 
a  commoner,  or  proprietor.  The  business  was  conducted  in  this 
manner  for  more  than  fifty  years.  The  first  divisions  were  made  in 
small  lots,  few  of  them  exceeding  ten  acres  plough  land,  and  land  not 
easy  of  tillage,  was  granted  at  a  distance  on  the  plains ;  swamp  or 
meado\v  land  for  hay,  and  woodland  often  at  quite  a  distance  away. 
This  method  of  laying  off  farms  has  rendered  them  very  inconvenient 
and  much  inconvenience  from  this  early  division  remains  to  this  date, 
very  few  farms  of  considerable  size  being  compact. 

To  show  the  tastes,  temper  and  disposition  of  these  early  settlers 


30  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

a  few  acts  of  the  town  of  Andover  as  put  upon  record  are  here  given  : 

«  T66o. — The  town  looking  into  consideration  the  great  damage 
that  may  come  to  the  town  by  persons  living  remote  upon  such  lands 
as  were  given  them  for  ploughing  and  planting,  and  so  by  their  hogs 
and  cattle  destroy  the  meadows  adjoining  thereunto,  have  ordered, 
and  do  hereby  order,  that  whatsoever  inhabitant  or  other  shall  build 
any  dwelling  house  in  that  part  of  the  town  but  upon  house  lots,  and 
other  places  granted  for  that  end,  without  express  leave  from  the 
town  shall  forfeit  20  shillings  a  month  for  the  time  he  shall  live  on 
any  such  prohibited  place, — the  town  having  given  house  lots  to  build 
on  to  all  such  as  they  have  received  as  inhabitants  of  the  town. 

1664. — Attendance  of  every  voter  was  required,  and  every  neglect 
to  come  to  the  town  meeting  at  the  day  and  time  appointed  subject- 
ed the  delinquent  to  a  forfeiture  of  1 2  pence. 

1672. — It  is  ordered  that  whatsoever  dogs  shall  be  in  the  meeting 
house  on  the  Sabbath  day,  the  owner  thereof  shall  pay  6  pence  for 
every  time  being  there,  and  G.  A.  Jr.,  is  appointed  to  take  notice 
thereof  and  have  the  pay  for  his  pains  and  to  gather  it  up. 

1680. — It  was  voted  and  agreed  upon  that  if  any  person  whether 
male  or  female,  shall  sit  in  any  other  place  in  the  meeting  house 
than  where  they  are  appointed  by  the  committee  shall  forfeit  for  every 
such  offense  for  the  use  of  the  town  twenty  pence,  to  be  forthwith 
gathered  by  the  constable  by  order  of  said  committee  and  if  the  con- 
stable faileth  to  do  as  abovesaid  to  pay  said  sum  himself. 

1689. — Ordered  by  the  selectmen  that  no  persons  entertain  others 
in  their  houses  after  9  o'clock  in  the  evening  without  warrantable  busi- 
ness, on  penalty  of  five  shillings.  No  young  persons  to  be  abroad 
on  Saturday  or  Sunday  nights,  nor  people  to  entertain  on  these  nights 
in  the  like  penalty, — persons  unseasonably  away  from  their  own 
homes  exposed  to  the  same  forfeiture.  The  tithingmen  were  requir- 
ed to  examine  and  report  the  breaches  of  these  orders. 

1695. — Two  persons  were  appointed  by  the  Selectmen  to  sit  in  the 
galleries  to  inspect  the  young  on  the  Sabbath  and  were  required  to 
notify  disorderly  persons  to  the  minister." 

The  settlers  of  Andover  during  these  years  had  much  trouble  with 
the  Indians.  Shortly  after  Passaconnaway's  death  in  1660  a  war 
sprung  up  between  the  Indians  and  the  whites  which  was  waged  at 


ASA   M.   BODWELL, 

Farmer, — "  to  the  manor  born,"  living  upon  the  estate  of  his  ances- 
tors, now  comprising  190  acres.  Mr.  Bodwell  has  sold  considerable 
of  the  original  estate,  including  the  site  of  the  city  reservoir,  and  has 
also  added  several  parcels.  He  was  born  in  1812,  and  has  spent  his 
life  upon  the  old  homestead,  excepting  a  few  years  passed  at  the  west 
in  early  manhood  ;  has  never  married.  He  received  the  educational 
advantages  offered  by  the  common  schools  of  this  valley  fifty  years 
ago.  About  four  years  ago  he  moved  the  old  wooden  house  of  his 
ancestors  and  erected  the  fine  brick  edifice,  No.  589  Haverhill  Street, 
where  he  now  resides. 


HISTORY    OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  3! 

intervals  till  the  year  1696.  Subsequent  to  this  date  Andover  was 
not  a  frontier  town,  and  no  depredations  by  the  Indians  in  this  vicin- 
ity are  reported.  During  the  next  century  and  a  quarter  the  sturdy 
yeomanry  on  either  side  of  the  river  moved  on  in  the  even  tenor  of 
their  way,  little  dreaming  of  the  changes  the  next  century  would  pro- 
duce. After  the  factories  had  been  set  in  motion  in  Lowell,  people 
about  here  began  to  wonder  whether  Bodwell's  Falls  and  other  rapids 
in  the  river  near  them  could  and  would  ever  be  utilized.  At  one 
time  about  the  year  1825,  as  Dr.  Isaac  Tewksbury  was  riding  over 
Phillips  Hill  in  company  with  Dr.  Kittredge,  of  North  Andover,  they 
halted  and  took  a  bird's  eye  survey  of  this  valley  and  remarked  upon 
the  feasibility  and  probability  of  a  future  city.  At  that  time  there 
were  not  over  200  persons  residing  in  the  territory  now  comprising 
the  city  of  Lawrence. 

A  *  writer  of  the  Old  Residents'  Association  says,  that  no  church 
spire  pointed  to  heaven  in  this  valley ;  only  three  school  buildings, 
of  limited  capacity,  with  primitive  accommodations,  stood  within 
present  city  limits.  There  was  no  hum  of  machinery  excepting  the 
simple  movements  of  the  small  paper  and  grist  mills  on  the  lower 
Spicket  and  the  activity  at  Stevens'  workshop,  on  the  site  of  the  Ar- 
lington Mills.  But  here  was  the  waterfall,  the  noble  sweep  of  river, 
the  lesser  streams  winding  their  way  through  wooded  valleys  to  meet 
the  Merrimack.  Here  were  the  sandy  Shavvsheen  fields  in  Andover, 
long  tilled  by  savage  and  civilized  hands  and  the  sparsely  settled 
farms,  with  wooded  pastures,  lying  along  the  north  bank  of  the  river 
in  Methuen,  with  the  same  rounded  hills  to  eastward  and  westward. 
Here  was  the  swell  of  land,  between  the  Merrimack  and  Spicket 
rivers,  favoring  building,  drainage  and  a  regular  arrangement  of  city 
streets  ;  here  were  all  the  possibilities  of  future  activity  waiting  the 
advent  of  men  bold,  enterprising  and  skilful  enough  to  transform 
this  sleepiest  of  rural  neighborhoods  into  a  centre  of  activity  and  life. 

*  Hou.  R.  H.  Tewksbury. 


32  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

The  Andover  tract  was  known  as  the  "  Moose  Country  "  or  the 
Plain  of  Sodom,  and  the  chief  innkeeper  at  the  Cross  roads  \vas 
familiarly  called  Lot.  The  Methuen  district  was  in  retaliation  called 
Gomorrah  by  dwellers  on  the  opposite  bank.  A  ravine  traversed  by 
a  small  intermittent  stream  bisected  this  Methuen  plain,  leaving  the 
river  from  a  point  near  the  Central  Pacific  Mill,  running  northerly  in- 
land, nearly  with  the  line  of  Lawrence  street,  bending  westward  and 
broadening  into  a  basin  lying  between  the  line  of  Haverhill  street 
and  Amesbury  and  Franklin  streets.  This  basin,  now  mostly  filled 
and  drained,  has  become  the  heart  of  population  in  Wards  Three  and 
Four. 

A  gulley  or  run  extending  from  the  Washington  Mills,  nearly  on  a 
line  with  Jackson  street,  to  the  quagmire  which  formed  the  easterly 
part  of  Lawrence  Common.  Below  Union  street,  eastward  from  the 
Duck  Mills,  was  a  sunken  valley,  lower  than  the  bottom  of  the  canal, 
requiring  a  vast  amount  of  filling.  There  was  a  shorter  ravine  where 
the  Atlantic  Mills  are  located,  and  another  low  run  extending  inland, 
towards  depot  square,  from  a  point  near  the  counting  house  of  the 
main  Pacific  Mills.  Depot  square  and  its  immediate  vicinity  was 
a  pool  of  stagnant  water,  well  stocked  with  pouts  and  other  fish. 
A  ridge  or  bluff  of  bluestone  ran  parallel  with  Essex  street,  to  the 
rear  of  where  the  post  office  now  stands,  from  which,  in  the  early 
days  of  the  city,  cannon  were  fired  in  times  of  jubilation  and  poli- 
tical rejoicing. 

Haverhill  and  East  Haverhill  streets  follow  substantially  old  county 
roads,  changed  somewhat  in  direction  and  grade  ;  Broadway  is  a  sec- 
tion of  the  old  turnpike  laid  out  in  1806,  from  Concord,  N.  H.,  to 
Medford,  Mass.,  that  part  within  the  city  limits  taking  the  name  a  few 
years  since.  Portions  of  Cross,  Arlington,  Berkeley,  and  Marston 
streets  in  North  Lawrence,  and  of  Lowell  road,  Salem  turnpike  and 
Merrimack  street  in  South  Lawrence,  with  the  ferry  and  back  roads 
in  the  outlying  wards,  follow  substantially  old  thoroughfares. 


W.    R.   SPALDING. 

Captain  Spalding  was  born  in  Wilton,  N.  H.  in  1828.  Came  to 
Lawrence  in  1846,  and  entered  the  clothing  business,  in  which  he  has 
from  that  time  been  engaged,  and  is  consequently  the  oldest  merchant 
in  the  city.  He  obtained  the  charter  of  the  Merrimack  Valley  Horse 
Railroad,  and  was  largely  instrumental  in  its  being  built,  and  was  at 
one  time  extensively  interested  in  the  Concord  Railroad,  and  one  of 
its  directors  for  several  years.  At  the  present  time  he  is  one  of  the 
directors  of  the  Lowell  &  Lawrence  Railroad,  and  is,  under  appoint- 
ment of  Gov.  Rice,  one  of  the  Inspectors  of  State  Charitable  Institu- 
tions for  Paupers  and  Insane  at  Tewksbury  ;  is  also  a  director  of  the 
Pemberton  National  Bank  and  treasurer  of  the  Lawrence  Savings  Bank. 
He  has  served  in  both  branches  of  the  city  government.  Married 
Mary  A.  Ham,  a  native  of  Rochester,  N.  H. 


HISTORY    OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  33 

The  old  ferry  roads  had  much  travel  before  the  building  of  Andover 
bridge  ;  they  compassed  the  valley,  now  the  site  of  the  city.  The 
westerly  road  approached  from  the  north,  reaching  the  Merrimack  at 
Bodwell's  ferry,  near  pumping  station,  by  way  of  Currant,  (Bellevue) 
and  Tower  Hill,  running  as  now,  to  the  rear  of  Bellevue  Cemetery. 
The  easterly  road  ran  as  it  now  runs,  over  and  a  little  to  the  eastward 
of  Prospect  Hill,  reaching  the  Merrimack  at  Marston's  ferry,  near  the 
Lawrence  poor  farm,  where  was  also,  in  the  olden  time,  a  ford. 

After  the  building  of  the  Andover  Bridge,  in  1 793,  a  rough  roadway 
ran  from  the  bridge,  northeasterly,  across  the  lowlands  to  a  point  just 
west  of  the  First  Baptist  church,  where  it  joined  the  Haverhill  road. 

The  few  dwellings  dotting  the  plain  within  the  central  wards  were 
mostly  upon  the  road,  now  straightened,  graded  and  known  as  Haver- 
hill  and  East  Haverhill  streets.  On  East  Haverhiil  street  was  and  still 
is  the  old  house,  with  its  immense  elm,  both  now  standing,  almost 
the  only  undisturbed  relics  of  a  former  century,  in  the  populous  districts 
of  the  ci%.  A  part  of  this  ancient  dwelling  is  so  old  that  it  ante-dates 
all  recollections  or  traditions,  excepting  the  known  fact  that  it  once 
stood  rear  the  mouth  of  the  Spicket  River,  on  the  Merrimack  bank, 
before  roads  were  opened  in  the  region,  and  sheltered  one  of  the  first 
settlers  on  this  plain.  The  great  farm  belonging  with  this  estate  lay 
along  the  western  bank  of  the  Spicket  river,  and  extended  from  the 
Merrimack  to  the  westward  bend  of  the  Spicket,  and  westerly  to  the 
Gage  farm,  hereafter  mentioned.  The  old  house  was  removed  to  the 
present  site,  when  highways  were  laid  out,  and  large  additions  made 
thereto.  The  great  elm  was  transplanted  from  the  Spicket  bank  by  a 
tramping  soldier  of  the  old  French  war,  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty-six  years  ago,  at  the  request  of  the  fair  wife  of  the  farmer  re- 
siding there.  The  estate  is  now  the  homestead  of  W.  B.  Gallison,  Esq. 
Opposite  this  ancient  landmark  was  the  more  modern  dwelling  of 
Adolphus  Durant,  Esq.,  built  a  little  more  than  fifty  years  ago  ;  with  a 
snug  enclosure  of  surrounding  land  with  the  buildings.  The  house  is 


34  QUARTER- CENTENNIAL 

well  remembered,  and  was  removed  a  few  years  since  and  fitted  for 
tenants. 

The  farm  house  and  buildings  of  the  late  Phineas  M.  Gage, 
stood  in  the  fields  on  the  spot  now  known  as  Jackson  Terrace  ;  the 
old  well  with  curb  and  sweep,  was  just  at  the  rear  of  the  Unitarian 
church,  the  farm  orchard  was  in  the  section  of  the  city  now  crossed 
by  Orchard  street,  his  garden  extending  along  the  line  of  Garden 
street.  Thus  the  names  of  two  city  streets  are  naturally  accounted 
for.  The  farm  of  Mr.  Gage  extended  from  the  banks  of  the  Merrimack 
to  Spicket  River,  including  the  eastern  end  of  the  common,  and  the 
lands  eastward  to  a  line  near  Newbury  street. 

The  substantial  dwelling  standing  upon  the  site  of  the  high  school 
building  is  so  well  remembered  as  hardly  to  need  mention.  It  was 
occupied  in  old  times,  in  turn  by  one  Remick,  a  sea-faring  man,  and 
one  Thwing  from  Dorchester,  and  by  Daniel  Merrill,  Esq.,  later  of 
Methuen.  Lawrence  common  was  mostly  within  the  lines  of  this  es- 
tate, which  included  all  of  the  central  and  westerly  portion. 

The  ancient  homestead  of  Capt.  White  stood  just  west  of  the  resi- 
dence of  J.  H.  Battles,  Esq.,  near  the  corner  of  Haverhill  and  Law- 
rence streets.  His  farm  lands  extended  westerly  to  Cross  street  and 
northward  to  Spicket  river,  with  a  large  central  tract  south  of  Haver- 
hill  street.  His  son  Judge  Daniel  Appleton  White,  born  beneath  the 
old  sloping  roof,  gave  the  citizens  of  Lawrence  what  must  continue  to 
prove  a  source  of  perpetual  pleasure  and  incalculable  profit,  his  mu- 
nificent gift  for  the  founding  of  a  course  of  lectures,  established  and 
known  as  the  "White  Fund  Course,"  and  from  the  fund  material  aid 
is  given  to  sustain  and  enlarge  the  public  library.  The  more  modest 
farm  house  at  the  corner  of  Amesbury  and  Haverhill  streets  was,  with 
several  acres  of  surrounding  lands,  the  property  of  Fairfield  White, 
Esq.,  now  living,  hale  and  hearty,  a  resident  of  Methuen,  and  still 
holding  a  part  of  those  lands.  A  substantial  square  farm  house,  near 
where  E.  W.  Colcord  now  lives,  at  the  corner  of  Franklin  and  Haver- 


STEPHEN    P.   SIMMONS, 

Stone  Contractor  and  Builder.  Residence,  1 75  Haverhill  St.  Has 
been  in  Lawrence  since  April  ist,  1847.  Was  born  in  Foster,  R.  I., 
April  17,  1813.  Received  a  common  school  education.  Learned  the 
mason's  trade  in  1833,  at  Woonsocket  Falls,  R.  I.  Was  married  in 
1834,  in  Smithfield,  R.  I.,  to  Fannie  B.  Eldridge  of  South  Harwich, 
Mass.  ;  has  four  children.  Attends  the  First  Methodist  church.  He 
helped  to  build  the  dam  across  the  Merrimack  River,  built  the  stone 
chimney  in  Everett  yard,  Grace  Episcopal  church,  all  the  foundations, 
excavating,  grading,  etc.,  for  Lawrence  jail,  stone  church  in  Methuen, 
and  re-built  the  foundation  of  the  Pemherton  Mill  after  its  fall.  In 
1854  did  several  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  work  for  the  Essex  Co. 
Mr.  Simmons  was  present  at  the  organization  of  the  town  of  Lawrence, 
and  also  voted  at  the  first  city  election. 


HISTORY   OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  35 

hill  streets,  was  known  at  one  time  as  the  Sargent  house.     It  was  torn 
down  about  the  time  the  city  was  incorporated. 

The  buildings  of  the  Methuen  poor  farm,  formerly  owned  by  Na- 
thaniel Sargent,  stood  near  the  corner  of  Bradford  street  and  Broadway, 
then  the  corner  of  Haverhill  road  and  old  turnpike,  and  were  too  lately 
removed  to  need  special  description. 

The  town  farm  lands  lay  along  either  side  of  the  old  turnpike  from 
Andover  bridge  northward,  with  a  great  pasture  on  the  easterly  slope 
of  Tower  Hill,  the  lands  of  one  Alpheus  Bodwell,  being  in  tha  Ward 
Five  lowlands.  West  of  the  railway  was  the  modest  low  dwelling  of 
Captain  John  Smith,  on  the  site  of  the  residence  of  E.  F.  Childs,  Esq., 
at  the  corner  of  Haverhill  and  May  streets.  One  Jennings,  formerly 
owned  the  lands  northward  of  this  dwelling  nearly  to  Methuen  line. 
Two  dwellings,  not  particularly  noticeable,  stood  on  the  slope  of  the 
hill  before  reaching  the  Bodwell  farm  buildings,  just  westward  of  the 
ferry  road.  This  Bodwell  farm  house  has  within  a  year  or  two  been 
supplanted  by  a  modern  brick  structure  ;  the  estate  is  still  held  by  the 
family.  Asa  M.  Bodwell,  Esq.,  being  one  of  the  few  men  of  enter- 
prise remaining  of  the  old  stock  of  settlers  born  and  reared  upon  the 
soil.  Edwin  Sargent,  Esq.,  residing  on  Prospect  Hill,  is  another  en- 
terprising native  who  has  faithfully  kept  the  inheritance.  Warren 
Stevens,  Esq.,  of  South  Lawrence,  was  to  the  manor  born,  and  with 
others  worthily  represents  the  old  stock  in  that  locality.  Of  the  de- 
scendants of  James  Smith,  who  had  a  small  estate  on  the  old  turnpike 
just  north  of  Haverhill  street,  Charles  M.  Smith  is  a  man  whose  ex- 
ample may  be  safely  followed  and  his  walk  commended.  The  origi- 
nal Poors,  Barnards,  Liscombs,  Gages  and  Swans  have  worthy  de- 
scendants, holding  in  many  cases  portions  of  the  old  estate. 

On  the  farm  of  Levi  Emery,  Esq.,  our  lively  Representative,  was 
the  old  farm  house  formerly  of  one  Ordway,  a  sterling  Bunker  Hill 
patriot,  who,  when  ammunition  failed,  threw  stones  and  clods,  and  pos- 


36  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

sibly  hurled  imprecations  at  the  red  coats.  The  estate  was  afterwards 
owned  by  one  Trull. 

The  Samuel  Ames,  formerly  Davis,  farm  was  the  same  substan- 
tially as  that  now  owned  by  Mr.  Ames,  and  below,  at  the  river  banks 
and  ferry,  were  two  ancient  houses,  once  much  resorted  to  in  the  days 
of  ferries  and  fords.  A  rickety  dwelling  known  as  the  Roger  house 
stood  at  upper  guard  locks,  and  was  the  first  to  be  demolished  and 
replaced  at  the  founding  of  the  city. 

On  the  lower  Spicket  was  the  Foster  house,  still  standing,  just 
below  East  Haverhill  street  bridge,  and  the  paper  mills  of  A.  Durant, 
Esq.,  long  since  supplanted  and  removed.  The  little  old  school 
house  at  the  corner  of  East  Haverhill  and  Prospect  streets,  was  long 
since  replaced  by  a  modern  spacious  building ;  the  one  on  Tower 
Hill  was  years  ago  removed  ;  the  one  in  South  Lawrence  was  removed 
years  since  and  is  now  a  modest  dwelling. 

Where  is  now  the  Arlington  Mills,  stood  the  piano  case  factory  of 
Abiel  Stevens,  afterwards  transformed  into  a  hat  factory,  and  in  the 
immediate  neighborhood  the  residence  of  father  and  son  ;  the  well- 
known  Susan  Huse  place,  the  house  standing,  the  residence  lately 
occupied  by  John  N.  Archer,  and  the  square  house,  in  which,  in  the 
early  days,  Nathan  Wells,  Esq.,  resided. 

In  South  Lawrence  the  cross-road  settlement,  where  Andover  street 
crosses  Broadway,  was  the  nearest  approach  to  a  village  within  the 
present  city  limits. '  Here  was  the  Essex  Tavern,  the  Shawsheen 
Tavern  and  county  store.  The  substantial  brick  residence  of  the  late 
Hon.  Daniel  Saunders,  is  still  standing  and  occupied  by  his  respected 
widow.  The  Essex  House  is  now  a' dwelling,  changed  somewhat  from 
its  former  appearance.  The  Shawsheen  House  under  another  name 
is  still  kept  as  a  public  house.  Opposite  the  old  toll  house  was  a 
modest  old  style  dwelling. 

On  the  Lowell  road  westward  from  this  corner  are  three  old  dwell- 
ings of  note.  The  Theodore  Poor  farm  house,  the  Caleb  Richardson 


HEZEKIAH    PLUMMER, 

Lumber  Dealer,  434  Haverhill  St. ;  residence,  155  Haverhill  St.  Born 
in  Andover  territory  now  Lawrence,  in  1815.  He  was  brought  up  on 
a  farm,  commencing  to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade  when  thirteen  years 
old.  Was  engaged  in  making  doors  and  sashes  in  1846,  at  Hazen 
Mill,  formerly  so  called,  on  the  Lowell  road,  about  a  mile  from  South 
Lawrence  depot,  Soon  after  this,  when  there  commenced  a  demand 
for  lumber  to  build  the  "new  city,"  he  erected  a  steam  mill  upon  the 
South  Side,  for  the  same  purpose.  Associated  with  Joseph  Norris  from 
1852  until  his  death,  Mr.  Plummer  has  built  many  public  buildings, 
as  well  as  private  residences.  Married  in  1 846  ;  has  one  child.  At- 
tends the  Unitarian  church.  Was  common  councilman  in  1856  and 
1859  ;  alderman,  1 86 1,  1868,  1871  and  1872. 


HISTORY    OF    LAWRENCE,    MAS...  37 

estate  and  the  old  dwellings  erected  by  the  pioneers  Barnard  and 
Stevens,  all  with  marks  of  extreme  old  age,  but  all  showing  that  they 
were  built  by  thrifty  farmers,  men  of  enterprise,  with  ideas  in  advance 
of  their  time. 

On  the  corner  of  Andover  and  Parker  streets,  where  one  Towne 
lived  for  years,  and  John  Bailey,  Esq.,  now  resides,  once  stood  the 
dwelling  of  Capt.  Michael  Parker.  The  Captain  was  a  blacksmith  as 
well  as  farmer ;  his  ancestry  were  buried  in  the  open  lot  south  of  the 
shop,  and  as  he  worked  at  his  forge  he  could  look  out  upon  the  little 
enclosure  of  sleepers.  When  he  sold  his  farm  of  a  hundred  acres, 
which  lay  along  the  Merrimack  eastward,  the  bodies  where  removed 
to  Andover  cemetery.  Parker  street  perpetuates  his  name. 

In  the  present  suburbs  of  Lawrence,  the  old  estates  remain  so  nearly 
as  they  were  and  the  changes  are  so  well  known,  descriptions  would  be 
tedious.  Among  the  most  notable  land  marks  is  the  Tarbox  dwelling 
at  the  foot  of  Clover  Hill,  where  Hon.  John  K.  Tarbox  was  born,  and 
the  old  dwelling  of  the  Sargents  and  Swans,  to  the  eastward  of  Pros- 
pect Hill.  Along  the  line  of  the  Merrimack  were  rude  fish  wharves, 
busy  localities  in  the  fishing  season  ;  there  were  five  of  them  between 
the  dam  and  the  Industrial  school,  simple  structures  of  rough  stone 
and  logs,  each  creating  an  eddy  where  at  some  seasons  the  fish 
gathered  in  immense'  numbers. 

Thus  upon  the  fingers  of  the  hand  may  be  counted  the  dwellings 
and  buildings  that  stood  within  the  populous  portion  of  the  city.  In 
all  the  district  where  the  great  mills  have  been  built  and  where  men 
congregate  for  trade  stood  not  a  single  habitation.  Previous  to  1845, 
little  change  had  taken  place  for  more  than  a  century.  The  silence  that 
brooded  over  the  plain  was  almost  oppressive.  The  waterfall  wasted 
a  countless  horse  power  in  its  musical  flow,  the  years  came  and  went 
and  brought  little  of  change  to  the  isolated  farmer,  the  hardy  river 
raftsman,  or  the  careless,  happy-go-lucky  fisherman  who  got  his  supply 
of  food  so  easily  at  the  rapids,  and  consumed  it  in  such  abundant 


38  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL   HISTORY   OF   LAWRENCE,    MASS. 

quantity  that,  if  the  modern  theory  that  fish  specially  nourishes  the 
brain  were  true,  he  should  have  been,  as  he  certainly  was  not,  the 
most  intellectual  of  mortals. 

But,  though  long  delayed,  change  came,  change  rapid,  radical  and 
entire,  overshadowing  completely  the  leaven  of-  original  population, 
till  only  here  and  there  do  we  find  the  descendant  of  a  native  family* 
or  a  landmark  untouched  by  the  hand  of  enterprise. 


CHARLES   STOKER   STORROW, 

Treasurer  and  Agent  of  the  Essex  Co.  Came  to  Lawrence  from  Bos- 
ton at  the  founding  of  the  city,  surveying  its  site,  locating  the  streets, 
improvements,  reserves,  etc. ;  a  civil  engineer  by  profession,  he  planned 
and  directed  those  first  important  works — the  great  stone  dam  and  the 
canals.  Born  at  Montreal,  P.  Q.,  March  25,  1809,  during  the 
temporary  residence  of  his  parents  there.  Was  first  mayor  of 
Lawrence,  1853.  Manager  and  engineer  of  the  Boston  &  Lowell 
Railroad  previous  to  coming  to  Lawrence.  Chief  engineer  of  opera- 
tions at  Hoosac  Tunnel  for  a  time.  Appointed  one  of  the  park  com- 
missioners for  the  city  of  Boston  in  1876.  Has  resided  in  Boston  for 
several  years  attending  to  the  finances  of  the  company  at  the  Boston 
office,  and  constantly  visiting  Lawrence,  attending  personally  to  the 
home  management.  Married  Lydia  Cabot,  and  has  several  children. 


V. 

BEGINNING  THE  ENTERPRISE.— THE  ESSEX 
COMPANY. 


*  Amid  all  the  gorgeous  imagery  of  the  Arabian  Night  Entertain- 
ments, that  rich,  unfailing  source  of  youthful  enjoyment  and  delight, 
there  has  probably  no  one  tale  so  colored  the  day  dream  of  boyhood 
or  so  materially  ministered  to  the  idealistic  fancy  of  imaginative  youth, 
as  the  enchanting  story  of  "  Aladdin  and  the  Wonderful  Lamp,"  where- 
in is  recited  among  the  many  marvellous  feats  of  the  wonderful  Genii, 
the  subservient  slave  of  the  youthful  possessor  of  the  wonderful  lamp. 
The  account  is  almost  incredible,  even  where  one  is  so  ready  to  be- 
lieve, of  the  erection  from  foundation  to  turret  of  a  most  magnificent 
palace  complete,  with  its  entire  equipment,  with  the  exception  of  one 
single  window,  in  the  'short  space  of  a  single  night. 

Substituting  in  the  stead  of  a  single  night-time,  the  space  of  hardly 
half  a  short  half  decade  of  years,  and  here  on  this  very  spot  of  earth 
called  home  by  thousands  there  has  been  performed  a  feat  hitherto 
hardly  less  incredible,  to  wit,  in  this  short  space  of  time,  by  the  aid 
of  no  supernatural  power  or  mythical  agency,  a  deep  and  rapid 
river,  arrested  in  its  impetuous  course,  its  mighty  and  resistless  force 

*  For  a  portion  of  this  chapter  the  compiler  is  indebted  to  Hou.  W.  H.  P.  Wright  for  facts 
and  formulated  sentences. 

39 


40  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

made  the  subservient  slave  of  man,  and  doomed  to  toil  in  harness  at 
the  will  of  its  master,  the  erection  of  an  infant  city,  with  its  mills  and 
its  hundreds  of  diversified  industries,  its  churches,  its  schools,  its 
happy  homes,  and  all  the  manifold  surroundings  that  go  to  make  up 
a  happy,  prosperous,  flourishing  municipality,  and  all  this  on  a  barren 
locality,  which  before  afforded  but  a  moderate  support  to  a  few  un- 
ambitious tillers  of  the  soil. 


DANIEL    SAUXDERS,    SR. 


If  the  earliest  conception  of  the  scheme  and  the  means  of  its  suc- 
cessful achievements,  if  the  unshared  labor  and  responsibility,  the 
heart-sickening  discouragement,  the  wearing  anxiety  and  care  neces- 
sarily attendant  on  so  vast  an  undertaking  in  its  inception,  are  matters 


HISTORY   OF    LAWRENCE,  MASS.  41 

of  moment.  If  to  the  unfailing  sagacity,  the  untiring  energy,  and 
indomitable  resolution  of  one  man,  the  success  of  an  enterprise  is 
mainly  due,  and  all  these  together  in  one  individual,  entitle  him  to 
rank  as  Founder  of  the  Enterprise,  then  to  one  who  unassuming  and 
unpretending,  for  many  years,  walked  with  us  and  lived  amongst  us, 
belongs  the  proud  title  of  the  Founder  of  our  City,  and  places  among 
the  honored  names  in  Lowell,  of  Boot,  of  Colburn  and  Worthen  of 
earlier  days,  that  of  Daniel  Saunders,  of  Lawrence.  Sometime  pre- 
vious to  1835  Mr.  Saunders,  than  resident  in  Andover,  and  at  the 
time  engaged  in  the  woolen  manufacture,  on  his  own  account,  came 
by  chance  into  the  possession  of  an  old  plan  for  a  canal  from  Lowell 
to  tide  water  in  the  Merrimack  river.  He  was  a  man  who  never 
mislaid,  or  wasted,  or  destroyed  anything  that  could  by  any  possibil- 
lity  become  of  future  use  or  value,  unpretending  but  self  reliant,  who 
thought  more  than  he  talked,  and  who  was  one  of  the  very  few  pos- 
sessed of  that  rare  faculty  of  keeping  their  own  secret  without  taking 
the  world  into  their  confidence  upon  every  matter  trivial  or  otherwise, 
or  who  felt  necessary  to  cackle  into  existence  every  new  idea  suggest- 
ing itself,  as  the  hen  ushers  into  the  world  her  new  laid  egg. 

From  occasional  studies  of  the  plan  and  from  the  numerous  sites 
for  locking,  as  thereon  portrayed,  he  was  persuaded,  that  there  must 
be  a  more  considerable  fall  between  Lowell  and  tide  water  in  the 
Merrimack  river  than  was  generally  conceived,  and  this  seemed  some- 
what plausible  from  the  fact  that  the  river  between  these  two  points 
was  navigable  downward  by  rafts,  and  exhibited  at  no  one  place  any 
decided  fall,  but  showed  the  descent  of  the  water,  such  as  it  was,  by 
occasional  rapids,  up  which  a  boat  might  be  pushed  without  diffi- 
culty in  ordinary  height  of  water,  and  consequently  was  to  an  ordi- 
nary observer,  extremely  deceptive  as  to  its  actual  capacity  for  power. 
In  order  to  satisfy  himself  of  the  fact,  with  a  single  assistant,  and 
with  no  other  instruments  than  a  straight  edge  and  spirit  level,  he 
determined  the  fall  of  the  several  rapids,  between  the  two  points,  with 


42  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

an  approximate  certainty,  sufficiently  accurate  at  any  rate  for  his 
satisfaction,  and  thereupon  at  once  was  prefigured  clear  and  distinct 
beyond  question  in  his  mind,  all  the  capabilities  and  advantages  of 
this  mighty  source  of  power  and  wealth,  hidden  under  the  unassum- 
ing form  of  a  few  deceptive  rapids.  The  Genii  of  the  Stream  had 
been  evoked  from  beneath  the  waters  and  had  been  compelled  to 
exhibit  himself  in  all  the  terrible  majesty  of  his  awful  power,  but  not 
as  yet  was  he  subject  further  to  mortal  incantation. 

From  that  moment  with  Mr.  Saunders  it  was  only  a  question  of 
time,  only  awaiting  an  opportunity,  and  the  man  to  demonstrate  and 
develop  it;  nor  did  he  hesitate  to  talk  over  in  the  privacy  of  his 
family  circle,  the  probabilities  of  the  growth  of  a  great  city  on  the 
banks  of  the  Merrimack  in  Methuen  and  Andover  ;  whether  or  no  his 
eyes  should  ever  see  it  was  to  him  then  a  matter  of  doubt,  but  to  the 
vision  of  his  children,  if  spared,  prophesied,  with  a  certainty  that 
silenced  cavil,  all  that  the  present  has  effected  in  the  way  of  material 
growth  and  prosperity  in  the  City  of  Lawrence. 

But  the  mere  discovery  of  this  immense  water  power,  hitherto  un- 
known, unrecognized  and  unimproved,  was  only  one  step,  and  that 
a  very  small  one  towards  its  full  development. 

About  two  miles  above  the  present  location,  at  the  head  of  Peters 
Falls,  so  called,  a  dam  could  have  been  constructed  at  a  much  less 
expenditure  of  money  than  where  the  present  dam  now  stands,  but 
at  the  sacrifice  of  a  few  feet  of  fall,  and  it  was  by  no  means  clear  then 
nor  for  sometime  after  to  the  mind  of  our  enterprising  discoverer 
which  of  the  two,  under  all  circumstances,  was  the  more  desirable 
spot  for  his  purpose ;  but  to  his  mind  one  thing  was  clear,  definite, 
determined,  and  that  was  that  the  scheme  of  founding,  in  one  of  the 
two  localities  a  great  manufacturing  centre,  was  far  from  visionary 
and  that  sooner  or  later,  by  some  person  in  some  way  and  by  some 
means  it  would  be  brought  about ;  consequently,  on  his  own  account, 
without  taking  any  one  outside  of  his  own  immediate  family  into  his 


ALBERT  WARREN, 

Commission  Merchant,  21  Broadway;  residence,  274  Haverhill  St. 
Came  to  Lawrence  in  April,  1850.  Born  at  Leicester,  Mass.,  Sept., 
1814.  Is  a  card  clothing  manufacturer  by  trade,  and  commenced 
that  business  in  this  city  under  the  firm  name  of  Smith,  Walker  &  Co., 
which  changed  to  Warren  &  Bryant,  and  subsequently  to  Warren  & 
Robinson.  Mr.  Warren  retired  six  years  since.  Is  married  but  has 
no  children.  Attends  the  Lawrence  Street  Congregational  church. 
Was  alderman  the  first  year  of  the  city  charter,  and  was  mayor  in 
1855  and  1856. 


HISTORY   OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  43 

councils,  in  1840  he  purchased  of  Frederick  Noyes  a  strip  of  land 
about  a  third  of  a  mile  in  length,  which  took  in  Peters  Falls  on  the 
south  side  of  the  river. 

Nothing  more  was  done  in  this  direction  until  1843,  when  he 
effected  a  purchase  from  Joseph  Griffin,  of  Lowell,  of  an  island  cov- 
ered with  wood,  situate  at  the  head  of  Peters  Falls,  which  island  is  now 
flooded,  and  is  below  the  level  of  the  flowing  river,  out  of  sight  be- 
neath the  deep  waters.  Later  in  the  same  year,  he  bought  of  Samuel 
Griffin  a  strip  of  land  about  half  a  mile  in  length,  containing  some 
eighty  acres  in  the  whole,  on  the  north  side,  and  from  time  to  time, 
as  opportunity  afforded,  quietly  effected  purchases  of  several  differ- 
ent parties,  until  he  held  in  his  own  right  the  whole  of  Peters  Falls, 
and  had  secured  to  himself  the  key  to  the  mighty  power  of  the  great 
river,  which  under  his  purchases,  by  means  of  the  flowage  laws  of 
Massachusetts,  could  neither  be  wrested  from  him,  nor  could  his  right 
to  utilize  the  same  be  hindered,  although  the  other  land  owners  on  the 
river  should  grudgingly  refuse  to  sell  whatever  might  be  necessary  for 
the  full  enjoyment  of  his  privilege  so  secured  for  a  reasonable  compen- 
sation ;  and  so  judiciously  did  he  set  himself  at  work,  and  so  quietly 
was  all  this  effected  that  no  person  other  than  the  confidents  in  his 
own  immediate  family  circle  suspected  even  the  existence  of  the  hid- 
den giant,  much  less  did  they  imagine  it  within  the  range  of  probabilities 
that  in  their  day  he  would  be  summoned  from  out  the  waters  to  dem- 
onstrate before  their  eyes,  in  active  industrial  energy,  the  capabilities 
of  his  terrible  presence  and  matchless  power. 

Having  now  proceeded  as  far  as  he  could  well  venture  singly  and 
alone  in  an  undertaking  so  vast,  and  having  just  at  this  time  disposed 
of  his  woolen  business,  he  was  now  at  liberty  to  give  to  the  enterprise 
his  undivided  attention,  provided  he  could  enlist  in  its  behalf  associ- 
ated capital,  which  in  no  inconsiderable  amount  would  be  required  in 
order  to  carry  forward  towards  its  completion  the  grand  project 
in  which  he  was  so  heartily  enlisted,  in  which  he  had  such  entire  faith' 


44  QUARTER-CENTEXNIAL 

to  which  he  had  given  so  much  thought  and  study,  and  for  the  full 
development  of  which,  in  its  entirety,  he  was  now  prepared  to  devote 
himself,  to  the  exclusion  of  all  other  matters  of  business  whatsoever. 
He  accordingly  opened  the  whole  matter  to  his  nephew,  J.  G.  Abbott, 
John  Nesmith  and  Samuel  Lawrence,  all  then  residents  of  Lowell,  dis- 
closing as  well  what  he  had  done  and  what  he  already  knew  in  the 
premises,  as  also  what  in  his  opinion  the  future  promised  and  required. 

He  found  the  parties  readily  disposed  to  give  the  project  their  fa- 
vorable consideration,  well  knowing  that  he  was  a  person  whose 
judgment  was  least  likely  to  be  warped  by  his  enthusiasm,  and  waiting 
only  to  satisfy  themselves  of  the  actual  fall  in  the  Merrimack  River 
below  Hunt's  Falls  in  Lowell,  in  full  sympathy  with  him  they  entered 
into  his  views,  and  immediately  thereupon  was  formed  the  Merrimack 
Water  Power  Association  embracing,  together  with  the  first  named, 
Daniel  Saunders,  Jr.,  then  a  law  student  in  Lowell,  Thomas  Hopkinson 
and  Jonathan  Tyler  of  Lowell,  and  Nathaniel  Stevens  of  Andover. 

Of  course  it  was  an  object  of  prime  importance  to  obtain  the  title 
to  as  much  of  the  land  as  possible  adjacent  to  the  location  determined 
upon,  as  well  to  secure  the  advantage  of  controlling  everything  relating 
to  the  laying  out  of  the  future  municipality  in  its  early  embryo  state, 
as  also  to  reap  the  advantage  of  the  immediate  rise  in  the  value  of  the 
real  estate  in  the  vicinity  of  the  contemplated  improvements.  How 
to  do  this  was  one  of  the  first  questions  that  presented  itself  to  the 
newly  formed  association. 

Prominent  members  of  the  association  urged  the  importance  of  at 
once  purchasing,  in  as  quiet  a  manner  as  possible,  lands  in  the  imme- 
diate vicinity  of  the  projected  enterprise  at  the  most  advantageous 
bargains,  and  to  an  extent  as  general  as  possible. 

But  to  him  who  had  studied  the  whole  matter,  even  in  its  minute 
detail,  and  who  had  seemingly  provided  for  almost  every  conceivable 
contingency,  this  appeared  not  the  part  of  wisdom,  and  his  suggestion 
on  the  contrary  was,  that  since  the  exact  location  was  by  no  means 


JOHN   RODMAN   ROLLINS, 

Accountant  at  Pacific  Mills.  Residence,  39  Prospect  St.  Has  been 
a  resident  for  over  twenty  years.  Born  in  Newburyport  Feb.  9,  1817. 
Was  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth  College,  of  the  Class  of  '36,  subsequent 
to  which  he  taught  school  1 2  years.  Married  Sarah  Stearns  Patterson 
Nov.  20,  1844;  has  two  children.  Is  a  regular  attendant  at  the 
Lawrence  Street  Congregational  Church.  Was  for  thirteen  years  pay- 
master of  the  Essex  Company.  Was  mayor  of  Lawrence  for  the  years 
1857  and  1858.  Captain  in  the  Union  Army,  1863-4.  Since  Dec. 
1 866  Mr.  Rollins  has  been  paymaster  at  the  Pacific  Mills. 


HISTORY    OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  45 

at  the  time  definitely  determined,  the  superior  advantages  of  the 
present  locality  in  height  of  fall  being  offset  by  the  diminution  of  out- 
lay required  to  build  a  dam  at  Peters  Falls,  two  miles  above,  and  as 
the  purchase  of  outlands  at  both  places  would  necessarily  secure  a  loss 
on  one  portion  or  the  other,  he  advised  that  the  association  should  at 
once  proclaim  their  purpose  and  intention  of  commencing  in  one  of 
the  two  ibcalities  hereafter  to  be  determined  as  the  interest  of  the  asso- 
ciation should  be  best  subserved,  the  erection  of  a  new  manufacturing 
city,  and  offering  to  the  land  owners  about  the  location  fortunate  in 
being  selected  a  joint  benefit  with  the  associates  in  the  enterprise  by 
taking  from  all  owning  lands  in  either  vicinity  bonds  for  the  conveyance 
of  their  lands  within  a  certain  time  at  prices  much  in  advance  of  their 
value,  present  or  prospective  under  the  present  existing  state  of  things. 
To  the  good  judgment  of  the  other  associates  the  suggestions  of  the 
original  projector  at  once  recommended  themselves,  and  he  accord- 
ingly commenced  taking  bonds  from  the  land  owners  in  and  about 
both  localities.  It  was  a  somewhat  slow  and  tedious  process.  Few 
had  any  idea  at  the  commencement  that  the  scheme  would  ever 
amount  to  anything,  and  they  had  no  particular  objection  for  a  nomi- 
nal consideration  to  bind  themselves  to  sell  within  a  given  time  their 
farms  for  one-half  more  perhaps  than  they  had  ever  dreamed  of  real- 
izing for  them,  but  parties  could  not  be  hurried  ;  many  required  repeat- 
ed visits  and  almost  endless  conferences.  Absent  parties  required 
hunting  up  and  communicating  with,  and  the  thousand  causes  for  de- 
lay attendant  upon  an  undertaking  so  vast  were,  of  course,  not  wanting. 
The  scheme  was  by  the  wise  ones  (and  there  are  many  such  in  every 
country  village)  facetiously  designated  as  Saunders'  folly.  Timid 
proprietors,  who  had  probably  never  made  a  conveyance  of  a  foot  of 
land  in  their  lifetime,  hesitated,  through  mere  dread  of  putting  name 
to  paper ;  these  had  to  be  encouraged  ;  the  stubborn  coaxed  ;  the 
cautious  satisfied.  It  was  not  a  community  of  business  men  that  were 
to  be  dealt  with,  but  a  community  of  yoemen  who  mostly  held  the 


46  QUARTER- CENTENNIAL 

same  land  which  their  fathers  had  occupied  before  them,  and  which, 
through  course  of  descent,  had  been  somewhat  widely  distributed. 
Any  other  than  a  most  resolute  and  self-reliant  man  would  have  been 
discouraged  at  the  very  outset.  But,  in  the  course  of  time,  the  sagac- 
ity of  his  plan  in  relation  to  bonding  the  land,  was  apparent. 

It  was  at  first  intended  to  secure  a  bond  for  a  deed,  but  afterwards 
it  was  deemed  more  desirable  to  procure  a  conditional  deed  to  be 
signed  by  all  parties,  thus  making  a  more  binding  agreement  upon 
all  the  parties  to  the  contract.  The  deed  was  made  in  warranty  form 
upon  receipt  of  one  hundred  dollars  or  such  sum  as  might  be  agreed 
upon,  provided  that  Mr.  Saunders  should  pay  to  the  grantor  within 
one  year,  or  such  time  as  agreed  upon,  the  sum  of  $5000,  more  or 
less,  as  called  for  in  the  deed.  This  sum  was  not  to  include  the 
bonus,  which  in  case  the  enterprise  fell  threw,  was  a  gratuity  to  the 
owners  of  the  land.  These  bonuses  were  to  come  from  the  sum  of 
$50,000,  put  up  by  the  association  to  pave  the  way  for  the  enterprise, 
or  rather  to  be  expended  in  the  experiment.  It  was  first  proposed 
to  call  the  location  "  Saunders,"  but  to  this  proposition  Mr.  Saunders 
objected,  giving  as  his  reason  that  there  was  not  in  Massachusetts  a 
town  called  Merrimack,  and  as  this  was  located  on  a  river  of  that  name, 
it  was  eminently  fitting  and  proper  that  the  name  given  should  be 
"  Merrimack,"  and  it  was  so  called  up  to  the  time  of  incorporation. 
When  the  act  of  incorporation  was  asked  of  the  General  Court,  it 
was  proposed  to  give  it  the  name  of  Lawrence,  in  honor  of  the  Law- 
rence family,  who  were  foremost  in  the  manufacturing  interest  (cot- 
ton and  woolen)  in  Massachusetts,  and  accordingly  it  was  duly  incor- 
porated as  Lawrence.  Many  no  doubt  will  wonder  why  Mr.  Saunders 
declined  to  give  the  thing  virtually  of  his  own  creating,  his  name,  as 
by  so  doing  his  name  would  have  been  carried  down  to  latest  times, 
but  there  is  no  cause  for  wonder.  He  was  not  ambitious  of  a  name 
and  fame  on  paper,  and  no  doubt  he  felt,  did  his  enterprise  succeed, 
his  monument  and  memory  would  be  found  in  the  noble  factories 


DANIEL  SAUNDERS, 

Attorney-at-Law  ;  office  246  Essex  St.  Born  in  Andover,  Mass.,  Oc- 
tober 6,  1822,  Graduated  from  the  Harvard  Law  School  in  1844  ; 
admitted  to  the  liar  July  i,  1845,  and  has  since  continued  a  leading 
member  of  the  same  in  Essex  County.  He  was  actively  engaged 
with  his  father,  the  late  Daniel  Saunders,  in  purchasing  lands  and  as- 
sisting him  in  his  original  enterprise  of  founding  the  present  city  of 
Lawrence.  In  1843  there  was  formed  the  Merrimack  Water  Power 
Association,  having  for  its  object  the  development  of  the  present  wa- 
ter power  of  Lawrence.  Of  this  association  Mr.  Saunders  was  a 
member.  From  this  association  grew  the  Essex  Company  which  was 
chartered  in  1845,  of  which  since  its  inception  he  has  been  a  stock- 
holder, and  for  many  years  one  of  its  directors.  He  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  both  branches  of  the  Legislature ;  was  Mayor  of  the  city  in 
1860,  the  year  of  the  memorable  Pemberton  disaster;  is  married 
and  has  four  children,  and  is  a  member  of  Grace  Episcopal  church. 


HISTORY    OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  47 

that  should  line  the  banks  of  the  noble  river  in  the  new  city  yet  in 
embryo. 

As  soon  as  all  preliminary  arrangements  were  made,  Mr.  Saunders 
immediately  devoted  his  entire  services  to  securing  all  the  necessary 
land  under  the  conditional  deeds  we  have  mentioned,  and  his  success 
was  gratifying,  when  the  many  difficulties  with  which  he  was  forced  to 
contend  are  taken  into  consideration,  and  in  eighteen  months,  he  had 
succeeded  in  securing  all  the  land  upon  each  side  of  the  river,  included 
in  what  is  now  the  city  of  Lawrence,  with  the  following  exceptions  : 
On  the  south  side  of  the  river  was  a  lot  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Sam- 
uel Poor,  of  about  thirty  acres,  which  was  heavily  mortgaged  to  Mr. 
N.  W.  Hazen  of  Andover,  in  whose  possession  it  afterwards  fell.  This 
lot,  upon  which  stands  the  Webster  House,  he  was  unable  to  secure, 
as  also  a  lot  of  twelve  acres  on  the  North  Andover  road,  owned  by 
Mr.  Foster,  and  an  undivided  fourth  of  one  acre  at  the  south  end  of 
the  Andover  Bridge,  upon  which  stands  Gage's  Block,  now  occupied 
by  Emerson  Woods  as  a  hotel.  These  were  the  only  lots  upon  the 
South  Side  remaining  in  the  hands  of  the  original  possessors.  On  the 
north  side  of  the  Merrimack  was  a  lot  owned  by  Fairfield  White  of 
six  acres,  east  of  Amesbury  and  south  of  Haverhill  streets.  The  house 
of  Moses  Perkins,  Esq.,  stands  nearly  upon  the  southeast  corner  of 
this  lot.  At  this  time  Mr.  White  was  working  upon  the  Boston  and 
Lowell  railroad,  and  offered  the  land  and  the  buildings  upon  it  for 
$600.  Mr  Saunders  offered  to  give  a  bonus  of  $200,  and  agree  to 
take  the  lot  at  $1200,  if  the  association  should  find  it  advisable  to  go 
on  with  the  enterprise.  Mr.  White  at  once  refused  to  take  less  than 
$1200',  but  would  sell  at  that  price,  which  offer  Mr.  Saunders  refused 
to  consider,  and  meeting  Messrs.  Lawrence  and  Nesmith  and  laying 
the  matter  before  them,  was  at  once  advised  by  Mr.  Lawrence  to  pay 
the  amount  demanded.  Mr.  Saunders  differed  from  this  proposition, 
stating  that  in  his  opinion  it  would  be  a  very  unwise  proceeding,  in- 
asmuch as  that  should  it  be  known  that  Mr.  White  had  been  paid  in 


48  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

hand  double  his  price,  the  next  owner  approached  would  demand 
perhaps  $20,000  for  his  territory,  and  the  next  one  perhaps  $100,000, 
and  thus  no  more  land  could  be  bought,  and  the  enterprise  must  per 
force  end  there,  but  that  in  his  opinion  it  would  be  more  advisable  to 
leave  Mr.  White  in  possession,  as  it  would  be  cheaper  in  the  end  to 
pay  him  $12,000  than  $1200  at  that  stage.  This  sound  advice  was 
accepted,  and  in  the  end  Mr.  White  retained  one  acre,  selling  the  bal- 
ance, five  acres,  to  the  association  for  $12,000.  The  only  other  ex- 
ception on  the  north  side  was  about  one-half  acre  on  Broadway,  then 
Turnpike,  owned  by  Mr.  Smith,  and  still  in  possession  of  his  widow 
and  heirs.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  with  how  much  energy  and  fidelity 
Mr.  Saunders  prosecuted  his  duty  as  the  land  agent  of  the  associa- 
tion, in  this,  the  most  delicate  and  arduous  duty  connected  with  the 
enterprise,  and  if  he  was  doubly  successful  in  securing  this  property 
and  at  the  same  time  securing  a  competence  for  himself,  no  one 
should  envy  or  begrudge  the  success  rightfully  earned,  and  to  which 
no  shade  of  chicanery  or  fraud  can  attach. 

No  one  can  say  that  his  or  her  property  was  not  bought  for  far  above 
true  value,  and  when  it  is  taken  into  consideration  that  many  of  the 
farms  were  heavily  mortgaged,  and  must  soon  have  fallen  into  the 
hands  of  the  creditors,  we  see  that  the  debtor,  instead  of  being  turned 
out  of  doors  with  neither  house  or  farm,  received  a  sum  more  than 
sufficient  to  free  him  from  debt,  and  still  leave  him  with  more  property 
than  was  in  his  possesion  when  the  millstone  of  debt  was  contracted. 
Many,  no  doubt  regret  to  this  day  that  they  disposed  of  their  property, 
but  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  without  this  disposition,  they  and 
their  children  would  still  possess  a  few  barren  and  unproductive  acres, — 
and  nothing  more.  The  total  amount  of  land  thus  secured  by  Mr. 
Saunders,  including  lands  in  Andover  and  the  flowage  to  Lowell, 
amounted  to  between  three  and  four  thousand  acres. 

The  price  which  the  land  owners  were  to  receive  in  case  the  pro- 
jected enterprise  was  a  success,  induced  many  to  give  bonds  at  once, 


WILLIAM    H.    P.    WRIGHT, 

Retired  Lawyer.  Residence,  55  East  Haverhill  St.  Born  at  Lowell 
in  1827.  Educated  at  Cambridge  University.  Studied  law  with  his 
father  in  Lowell,  coming  to  this  city  in  1847,  ar>d  continuing  study 
with  Daniel  Saunders,  and  also  with  Wright  &  Flanders.  Commenc- 
ed practice  with  his  brother  Thomas,  which  partnership  continued  till 
1 86 1,  or  about  the  time  he  was  elected  mayor,  which  position  he  held 
in  1862-63,  two  of  the  most  important  years  of  our  city's  history. 
Subsequent  to  this  Mr.  Wright  practiced  law  until  1876.  He  repre- 
sented the  city  in  the  legislature  in  1867-68,  and  officiated  as  judge 
during  the  interim  between  Judge  Stevens  and  Judge  Harmon.  Has 
a  wife  and  one  son. 


HISTORY   OF   LAWRENCE,    MASS.  49 

and  as  a  general  thing  these  were  parties  who  were  most  conversant 
with  business  affairs,  whose  judgment  was  generally  to  be  relied  upon, 
and  who  exerted  in  the  community  a  certain  influence  on  that  ac- 
count, and  they  soon  became  active  interested  agents  in  inducing 
others  to  do  the  same  ;  and  as  it  was  understood  that  the  ultimate 
location  depended  largely  upon  the  unanimity  of  feeling  among  the 
land  holders  of  either  locality  over  the  others,  in  bonding  their  real 
estate,  there  grew  up  a  rivalry  between  the  land  owners  of  the  differ- 
ent places  to  secure  each  for  themselves  the  advantage  dependent  on 
each  ultimate  location  by  enlisting  as  universally  as  possible  every  party 
in  interest  into  the  general  movement,  yet  in  a  country  as  sparsely 
populated  as  this  then  was,  rapid  interchange  of  news  was  out  of  the 
question.  Everything  moved,  but  it  moved  slow,  and  the  most  un- 
tiring energy  and  unflagging  zeal  was  constantly  required  to  keep  even 
that  movement  continuous.  Many  months  of  hard,  discouraging,  con- 
tinuous labor  ensued  before  the  title  to  the  real  estate  was  in  this  way 
generally  secured.  When  taken  in^o  consideration  the  fact  that  in 
a  city  two  miles  square,  almost  the  entire  real  estate  through  the  efficacy 
of  these  bonds  came  into  the  hands  of  the  parties  in  interest,  and  that 
two  miles  further  up  river  a  like  condition  of  things  existed  had  the 
location  there  been  fixed,  when  you  bear  in  mind  that  all  this  was  the 
result  of  the  labors  of  one  man,  for  in  this  delicate  duty  subordinates 
could  not  well  be  employed  or  trusted,  you  can  form  some  idea  of  the 
patience  and  policy  requisite,  the  visitations  and  journeyings  necessary, 
the  arguments  and  inducements  required,  the  objections  and  scruples 
silenced,  the  doubts  removed,  the  questions  answered,  the  enquiries 
satisfied  and  the  caution  and  judgment  exercised  before  any  such  re- 
sult could  have  been  brought  about.  Few  are  the  men  who  would 
have  undertaken  such  a  task,  and  fewer  yet  those  who  could  so  satis- 
factorily have  accomplished  it.  The  patience  under  difficulties,  the 
resolution  of  purpose,  the  rugged  common  sense,  the  intimate  knowl- 


50  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

edge  of  mankind  that  were  marked  characteristics  of  Mr.  Saunders, 
visibly  manifest  themselves  in  this  achievement. 

After  seventy-six  years  of  tireless  activity,  in  which  few  days  could 
be  counted  as  lost,  and  none  as  wasted,  on  the  eighth  day  of  October, 
1872,  he  gave  o'er  his  labors,  laid  aside  his  cares,  disrobed  himself  of 
his  infirmities  and  found 

"Rest  at  last, 
Repose  complete,  eternal, 
Love,  rest  and  home." 

Near  the  summit  of  one  of  the  lofty  hills  that  overlooks  the  city  at 
whose  birth  he  was  so  conspicuous  in  action,  he  was  by  loving  hands 
tenderly  laid  away,  where  "  he  rests  from  his  labors,  and  his  works  do 
follow  him." 

On  the  twentieth  day  of  March,  1845,  tne  legislature  of  Massachu- 
setts granted  to  Samuel  Lawrence,  John  Nesmith,  Daniel  Saunders  and 
Edmund  Bartlett  their  associates  and  successors,  the  charter  of  the 
Essex  Company,  authorizing  among  other  things  the  construction  of 
a  dam  across  the  Merrimack  River,  either  at  Deer  Jump  Falls  or  Bod- 
well's  Falls,  or  at  some  point  in  the  river  between  the  two  falls.  From 
this  time  Daniel  Saunders,  although  still  employed  in  busily  adjusting 
matters  of  detail  in  relation  to  the  various  conveyances  of  real  estate, 
the  adjustment  of  damages  for  flowage,  and  matters  of  that  nature  for 
and  on  account  of  the  Essex  Company,  steps  aside  as  the  principal 
character  upon  the  theatre  of  action. 

On  the  sixteenth  of  the  following  April,  the  stock  ($1,000,000)  hav- 
ing in  the  meantime  been  taken  up,  the  company  was  organized  with 
Abbott  Lawrence,  Nathan  Appleton,  Ingnatus  Sargent,  William  Sturgis 
and  Charles  Storrow  as  directors.  Mr.  Storrow  was  elected  agent  and 
chief  engineer.  At  the  present  time  he  is  treasurer  of  the  company. 
Mr.  Storrow  at  once  began  work  with  a  corps  of  assistants,  and  an  ac- 
curate survey  was  made,  plans  executed  for  a  dam,  canal,  mill  sites, 
streets,  lots  and  public  squares  in  the  town,  and  on  the  first  day  of 


ALFRED   J.    FRENCH, 

Homoeopathic  Physician.  Residence  and  place  of  business,  44  Law- 
rence Street.  Has  been  in  Lawrence  twenty-one  years  ;  practiced  in 
Methuen  seven  years.  Was  born  in  Bedford,  N.  H.  in  1823,  and  re- 
ceived an  academic  education  at  Hancock  (N.H.)  Literary  Seminary. 
Labored  on  a  farm  until  the  age  of  twenty.  Received  a  medical  ed- 
ucation at  the  Vermont  Medical  College,  graduating  in  1848.  Was 
married  in  1852  to  Sarah  A.  Hardy  of  Antrim,  N.  H. ;  has  no  children 
living,  having  buried  an  only  daughter.  Dr.  French  is  a  member  of 
the  First  Baptist  church,  chairman  of  its  finance  committee,  and  was 
treasurer  for  five  years.  Served  as  overseer  of  the  poor  in  1858  ;  rep- 
resentative to  legislature  in  1859-60  ;  elected  mayor  for  1864  >  served 
as  president  of  Lawrence  National  Bank  five  years  from  its  organiza- 
tion, and  is  a  trustee  of  the  Broadway  Savings  Bank. 


HISTORY    OF    LAWRENCE,  MASS.  51 

August  work  was  begun,  and  the  first  stone  laid  in  the  company's  dam 
September  19,  and  in  a  little  over  two  years  the  work  was  completed. " 
The  dam  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  structures  in  the  country.  It 
is  of  granite,  1,629  feet  in  length,  thirty-five  feet  thick  at  the  base  and 
12  1-2  at  the  top,  backed  by  gravel  to  within  a  few  feet  of  the  surface. 
It  is  bedded  into  the  bed-rock  of  the  river.  The  granite  blocks  from 
which  the  dam  is  built  were  hammered  on  the  bed  and  laid  in  hydrau- 
lic cement.  The  dam  cost  $250,000.  The  overflow  of  water  is  900 
feet  wide,  and  the  fall  is  twenty-six  feet.  The  dam  is  in  some  places 
as  high  as  forty  and  one-third  feet. 

The  charter  provided  that  the  dam  should  be  so  built  as  not  to  flow 
Hunt's  Falls  at  Lowell,  and  made  provision  for  a  commission  of  three 
competent  persons  to  fix  and  by  permanent  monuments  determine  the 
point  in  the  river  which  is  the  foot  of  Hunt's  Falls. 

After  the  completion  of  the  dam  it  was  found  that  owing  to  the  fric- 
tion and  consequent  obstruction  of  water  by  the  turns  in  the  river, 
which  was  not  taken  in  account,  the  water  flowed  back  upon  Hunt's 
Falls  further  than  the  fixed  monument,  and  consequently  some  sixteen 
inches  were  hammered  off  from  the  top  of  the  great  stone  headers 
which  project  over  the  fall  of  the  dam,  thus  seriously  interferring  with 
the  perfect  symmetry  of  the  structure,  and  much  impairing  its  beauty. 
The  charter  further  required  that  a  suitable  and  reasonable  fishway 
should  be  built  and  maintained  in  the  dam,  to  be  kept  open  at  such 
seasons  as  are  necessary  and  usual  for  the  passage  of  fish,  and  provid- 
ed that  the  county  commissioners  of  Essex  county  upon  application 
should  prescribe  the  mode  of  constructing  the  same.  Accordingly  a 
place  was  prepared  by  the  Essex  Company,  which  the  county  commis- 
sioners accepted  and  prescribed  as  a  proper  form  of  fishway  to  be  built. 
The  county  commissioners  were  evidently  not  first-class  fresh  water 
fishermen,  however  reliable  might  have  been  their  judgment  in  the 
matter  of  deep  sea  fishing.  They  were  probably  strongly  influenced 
by  a  perverted  agricultural  taste,  for  their  fishway  was  a  modified  swill 


52  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

trough  of  immense  strength,  extending  diagonally  from  the  top  of  the 
dam  to  the  river  bed  on  the  southerly  side,  and  across  this  trough  at 
equal  distances,  were  spiked  great  cross  timbers,  against  which  the 
water  was  to  strike,  and  thus  form  eddies,  arid  over  these  timbers  the 
fish  were  to  leap  in  sportive  glee.  On  the  original  plan  the  happy 
fish  was  pictured  out,  wiggling  in  the  imaginary  eddies,  hopping  merrily 
over  the  cross  timbers,  speeding  rapidly  through  or  resting  in  confid- 
ing innocence  in  the  cool  waters  of  a  seductive  eddy,  their  tails  fairly 
squirming  with  delight,  and  their  countenances  beaming  with  astonish- 
ed wonderment  at  the  skill  displayed,  as  well  as  the  unmistakable  grati- 
tude for  kindness  exhibited,  on  the  part  of  their  old  destroyer  and 
arch-enemy,  man.  The  picture  was  a  pleasing  one  ;  future  genera- 
tions may  prize  it,  but  as  an  avenue  for  the  migration  of  fish  the  pro- 
ject was  a  failure.  Since  that  time  various  devices  have  been  con- 
structed to  serve  the  important  purpose,  but  none  seemed  to  meet 
the  requirements  until  the  summer  of  1876,  when  under  the  direction 
of  the  State  fish  commissioners  a  way  was  constructed  which  in  part 
seems  to  be  satisfactory.  To  induce  the  finny  tribe  to  poke  their 
noses  in  that  direction  a  large  sum  was  expended  in  blasting  from  the 
foot  of  the  way  to  deep  water  near  the  dam.  It  is  now  thought  that 
through  the  labor  which  has  been  bestowed  on  the  artificial  breeding 
of  salmon  the  river  will  be  re-stocked  at  no  very  distant  day. 

The  north  canal  is  a  little  over  a  mile  long,  100  feet  wide  at  the  up- 
per, and  sixty  feet  wide  at  the  lower  end,  and  twelve  feet  deep.  It  is 
400  feet  distant  from  the  river  and  parallel  with  it.  The  engineer  in 
charge  of  the  construction  of  the  dam  was  Charles  A.  Bigelow,  a  cap- 
tain of  engineers  in  the  United  States  army,  and  under  his  supervision 
the  dam  and  north  canal  were  completed  in  1848.  The  river  affords 
on  an  average  about  5000  cubic  feet  of  water  a  second,  but  sometimes 
it  reaches  60,000.  A  power  thus  obtained  is  estimated  at  150  mill 
power.  A  mill  power  is  calculated  to  take  thirty  cubic  feet  of 
water  a  second,  with  a  head  and  fall  of  twenty-five  feet.  This  gives  a 


NATHANIEL  P.  H.  MELVIN, 

Hardware  Dealer  at  582  Essex  St.  Residence  on  Bo  dwell  St.  Has 
been  in  Lawrence  twenty-five  years.  Born  in  Lowell  in  1825.  For 
twenty  years  after  coming  to  this  city  he  was  chief  engineer  at  the 
Washington  Mills,  resigning  that  most  important  position  to  embark 
in  the  hardware  trade.  Mr.  Melvin  is  the  only  man  who  has  had  the 
honor  of  being  elected  to  the  mayoralty  chair  of  Lawrence  for  three 
terms,  he  having  occupied  that  position  in  1867, 1868  and  1870.  He 
was  also  alderman  in  1860.  At  present  he  is  a  member  of  the  Law- 
rence Water  Board.  Attends  the  Episcopal  church. 


HISTORY    OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  53 

force  estimated  to  equal  from  60  to  70  horse  power.  When  the  At- 
lantic Mills  Corporation  bought  their  mill  site  the  price  agreed  upon 
for  a  mill  power  was  $14,333  of  which  $9,333  was  paid  in  cash,  the 
balance  of  $5,000  remaining  perpetually  at  4  per  cent,  interest,  pay- 
able annually  in  silver  or  its  equivalent.  The  Atlantic  Company  bought 
twenty  mill  powers,  and  the  other  corporations  more  or  less  as  to  their 
requirements. 

The  Essex  Company  has  continued  to  sell  mill  powers  to  manu- 
facturers upon  such  terms  as  deemed  prudent  between  the  parties. 
After  the  sales  had  been  made  to  the  larger  corporations  they  advanced 
somewhat  in  the  price  for  several  years,  though  the  last  sale,  which  was 
on  the  South  Canal,  to  N.  W.  Farwell  &  Son  for  bleachery,  netted 
the  company  only  $12,000.  "  Each  mill  power  is  declared  to  be  the 
right  to  draw  from  the  nearest  canal  or  water  course  of  the  grantors 
so  much  water  as  shall  give  a  power  equal  to  thirty  cubic  feet  of  water 
per  second,  when  the  head  and  fall  is  twenty-five  feet ;  and  no  more 
is  to  be  drawn  in  any  one  second,  nor  is  the  same  to  be  drawn  more 
than  sixteen  hours  in  each  day  of  twenty-four  hours ;  and  in  order  to 
prevent  disputes  as  to  the  power  of  each  mill  privilege  in  the  variations 
of  the  height  of  water  from  changes  of  the  season  or  other  causes,  it 
is  understood  and  declared  that  the  quantity  of  water  shall  be  varied 
in  proportion  to  the  variation  of  the  height,  one  foot  being  allowed  and 
deducted  from  the  height  of  the  actual  head  and  fall,  and  also  from 
that  with  which  it  is  compared  before  computing  the  proportion  be- 
tween them  :  thus  on  a  head  and  fall  of  thirty  feet  the  quantity  of  wa- 
ter to  be  used  would  be  twenty-four  cubic  feet,  and  24-100  of  a  cu- 
bic foot  per  second." 

A  second  canal,  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  was  commenced  in 
1870  ;  the  upper  section  is  completed,  the  mill  sites  sold,  and  substan- 
tial brick  buildings  already  erected  thereon  ;  this  canal  is  to  be  extended 
as  fast  as  the  power  is  in  demand,  to  be  finally  about  one  and  one-fourth 
miles  in  length,  emptying  into  Shawsheen  River.  The  capital  stock 


54  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

of  the  company  was  reduced  some  years  ago  to  $800,000  by  cancel- 
lation of  stock  received  for  land,  and  again  in  1872,  by  the  payment 
to  stockholders  of  $30.00  per  share  surplus  funds,  was  reduced  to 
$500.000. 

On  the  28th  of  April,  1846,  when  there  were  but  few  other  than 
temporary  houses,  the  Essex  Company,  having  completed  their  plans 
of  the  streets  and  lots  of  the  new  town,  advertised  the  public  sale  of 
land ;  large  numbers  flocked  to  the  place,  and  amid  the  open  fields, 
the  fields  marked  off  by  the  furrow  of  a  plow,  before  the  barren  waste 
of  sand  stretching  down  to  the  river  where  now  stand  the  Pacific  and 
Washington  Mills,  the  red  flag  of  the  auctioneer  marked  the  sale  by  the 
foot  of  lots  from  the  farms  so  recently  purchased  at  a  low  price  by  the 
acre.  The  prices  obtained  were  deemed  fabulous,  and  by  many  ruin- 
ous, but  faith  in  the  future  of  the  new  city  and  the  ability  of  its 
founders  was  not  misplaced,  and  although  the  business  revulsions  of 
latter  years  have  depressed  some  of  the  property,  there  is  not  a  foot  of 
it  sold  at  that  time  but  would  to-day  pay  a  fair  and  most  of  it  a  very 
handsome  profit  upon  the  investment.  The  highest  price  then  ob- 
tained was  for  the  lot  upon  the  corner  of  Essex  and  Jackson  streets, 
opposite  Clarke's  apothecary  store,  which  realized  seventy  cents  per 
square  foot ;  other  lots  on  Essex  street  were  sold  at  prices  from  fifty- 
eight  to  thirty  cents  ;  lots  on  Haverhill  street  were  sold  at  from  nine 
to  thirteen  cents  per  foot. 

On  the  6th  day  of  December,  1855,  the  Essex  Company  offered 
at  public  auction  about  600  house  lots  in  various  parts  of  the  city. 
Some  of  these  purchasers  who  retained  their  land  for  a  series  of  years 
realized  well  upon  their  investments ;  but  many  other  lots  somewhat 
remote  from  the  centre  of  business,  have  never  had  a  market  value 
sufficient  to  pay  the  original  purchase  with  interest.  The  hard  times 
of  1857  soon  came  on,  and  it  almost  seemed  by  the  numerous  lots 
placarded  "for  sale  "  that  every  real  estate  holder  in  the  city  desired 
to  dispose  of  his  property.  But  these  gradually  wore  away,  till  nearly 


SMITH  BROWNING  WILKINSON  DAVIS, 

Merchant  Tailor ;  has  been  in  business  on  Essex  Street  from  1854  to 
1878  ;  residence,  20  Park  St.  Has  been  in  Lawrence  nearly  twenty- 
five  years.  Was  born  at  Foster,  R.  I.,  Apr.  i3th,  1824.  Learned  his 
trade  in  Scituate,  R.  I.  Was  educated  at  Lapham  Institute,  R.  I. 
His  boyhood  was  spent  on  a  farm.  Married  Lorinda  Bishop  in  1848  ; 
has  two  children.  Is  connected  with  the  Free  Baptist  church.  Mr. 
Davis  was  a  member  of  the  common  council  for  1869-70,  officiating 
as  president  during  the  latter  year;  was  mayor  for  1871-2,  and  is  at 
present  clerk  of  the  overseers  of  the  poor. 


HISTORY    OF   LAWRENCE,    MASS.  55 

all  the  available  lots  have  been  utilized  and  become  the  homes  of 
prosperous  thousands. 

During  1848,  the  Essex  Company  proffered  the  city  a  tract  com- 
prising 17  2-3  acres,  which  they  had  wisely  reserved,  to  be  kept  as  a 
public  common,  the  city  to  expend  not  less  than  $300  per  year  for 
twenty  years  in  its  adornment.  After  some  misgivings  on  the  part  of 
the  citizens  the  offer  was  accepted  and  to-day  the  city  can  boast  one 
the  finest  parks  in  New  England,  outside  of  Boston.  The  Essex  Com- 
pany has  since  given  three  other  parcels  of  land  to  the  city  for  the 
purposes  of  public  parks,  with  certain  restrictions,  which  have  been 
accepted.  These  are  Storrow  Park,  Prospect  Hill,  one  in  Ward  V 
and  the  other  in  Ward  VI,  which  have  been  fenced,  but  little  has  been 
done  towards  beautifying  them.  The  company  has  also  given  to  sev- 
eral of  the  religious  denominations  sites  for  church  edifices. 

The  Essex  Company  still  retains  the  control  of  the  dam  and  water 
power  of  the  river,  which  is  now  believed  to  be  equivalent  to  10,000 
horse  power,  7,200  of  which  have  been  sold  and  utilized.  The  re- 
mainder is  ready  for  sale  or  lease.  The  company  still  owns  many  house 
lots  and  other  tracts  of  real  estate,  and  employs  on  the  average  about 
twenty-five  men  to  care  for  their  interests.  The  officers  of  the  com- 
pany are  :  Charles  S.  Storrow,  Treasurer,  Boston  ;  H.  F.  Mills,  En- 
gineer, Lawrence;  Robert  H.  Tewksbury,  Cashier,  Lawrence. 


VI. 

ANDOVER    BRIDGE. -THE   OLDEST   CORPO- 
RATION. 


*  Commencing  before  the  present  century,  the  records  of  the  pro- 
prietors of  Andover  bridge,  still  carefully  preserved,  contain  the  history 
of  that  oldest  and  only  very  old  work  of  a  corporation  within  Law- 
rence limits. 

In  the  year  1 793,  in  the  closing  years  of  the  first  administration  of 
George  Washington,  when,  released  from  the  burdens  imposed  by  the 
Revolution,  men  of  enterprise  engaged  once  more  in  peaceful  callings 
and  projected  home  improvements,  an  Act  was  passed  by  the  General 
Court  of  Massachusetts  incorporating  Samuel  Abbott  and  John  White, 
Esquires,  with  Joseph  Stephens,  merchant,  and  E.benezer  Poor,  yoe- 
man,  and  associates,  as  a  body  politic,  under  the  name  of  the  "  Pro- 
prietors of  Andover  Bridge,"  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  bridge 
over  Merrimack  River  from  Andover  to  Methuen,  at  Bodwell's  Falls, 
where  our  Broadway  bridge  now  stands.  March  19,  1793,  John 
Hancock,  then  governor,  affixed  his  bold  signature  approving  the  act. 
This  charter  provided  that  the  bridge  should  be  built  within  three 
years,  should  not  be  less  than  twenty-eight  feet  wide,  should  have  a 

*  Hon.  R.  H.  Tewksbury. 

56 


JOHN    KEMBLE   TARBOX, 

Attorney  and  Counsellor-at-Law.  Office,  Essex  Savings  Bank  Build- 
ing, Essex  Street ;  residence,  1 7  Valley  Street.  Mr.  Tarbox  was  born 
in  that  part  of  Methuen  now  embraced  within  the  limits  of  Lawrence, 
May  6,  1838.  He  studied  the  profession  of  law  in  the  office  of  Col. 
Benjamin  F.  Watson,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1860.  While  a 
student-at-law  he  edited  the  Lawrence  Sentinel  newspaper.  Served 
in  the  Union  Army  in  the  Fourth  Regiment  Massachusetts  Volunteers. 
Was  a  delegate  to  the  Democratic  National  Convention  at  Chicago, 
in  1864,  and  an  alternate  delegate  at  large  from  the  State  to  the  Dem- 
ocratic National  Convention  in  1868,  and  candidate  for  Presidential 
Elector.  He  was  representative  to  the  General  Court  in  1868,  1870 
and  1871,  and  State  Senator  in  1872.  Mayor  of  Lawrence  in  1873 
and  1874,  and  a  member  of  the  44th  Congress  from  the  Seventh 
Massachusetts  District. 


QUARTER-CENTENNIAL   HISTORY   OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  57 

centre  span  of  one  hundred  ten  feet  reach,  over  the  main  channel,  to 
insure  easy  passage  for  great  timber  rafts. 

Tolls  were  fixed  by  the  act  for  foot  passengers  and  every  kind  of 
carriage  from  a  chariot  to  a  wheelbarrow.  By  two  additional  acts 
the  proprietors  were  allowed  to  increase  tolls.  By  the  first  act  they 
were  given  the  right  to  charge  tolls  for  fifty  years,  by  an  additional 
act  this  right  was  extended  to  seventy-five  years  ;  by  a  second  ad- 
ditional act  they  were  given  monopoly  forever  with  right  to  reduce 
the  width  of  the  bridge,  when  rebuilt,  from  twenty-eight  to  twenty 
feet.  Subscribers  to  stock  formally  organized  the  company  immedi- 
ately after  incorporation.  The  directors  without  delay  set  about  the 
work  of  building,  a  master  mechanic  was  hired,  timber  was  purchase  i, 
and  the  work  went  bravely  on. 

The  first  structure  stood  on  nuge  wooden  piers,  and  cost  3,998 
pounds  13  shillings  and  nine  pence,  as  the  account  is  made  up,  or  in 
modern  round  numbers,  twelve  thousand  dollars. 

The  opening  of  the  bridge,  Tuesday,  November  igih,  1793,  was  a 
great  local  event.  The  ministers  of  Methuen  and  Andover,  with  stock- 
holders, and  principal  men  of  Essex,  and  Rockingham,  were  invited, 
the  directors,  voting  to  "entertain"  on  that  day. 

Captain  Dunkin's  company  of  infantry  and  Stephen  Barker's  com- 
pany of  cavalry  appear  to  have  done  escort  duty.  A  boy  named 
Stevens,  undertaking  to  pass  the  guard  stationed  to  keep  the  bridge 
clear  for  invited  dignitaries  was  bayoneted  by  a  soldier  named  Foster, 
and  died  from  the  effect  of  his  injuries  in  a  few  days.  Bridge  build- 
ing experience  was  limited  then,  and  the  new  structure  had  an  ailing 
existence  of  only  eight  or  nine  years.  August  28th,  1801,  a  part  of 
the  bridge  fell  in  ruins  while  a  drove  of  cattle  were  passing  over  it. 
Of  the  herd  59  sheep,  6  cows  and  a  horse,  saddled  and  bridled, 
perished  in  the  waters  below,  and  were  paid  for  by  the  afflicted 
proprietors. 


58  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

In  the  winter  of  1802-3,  tne  superstructure  of  the  bridge  was  re- 
built, upon  the  piers  of  the  old,  by  Asa  Town,  Esq.,  contractor.  It 
was  a  truss  bridge  of  three  frame  arches  and  one — the  great  centre- 
arch — of  solid  boards  or  plank.  This  form  of  arch,  now  very  com- 
mon, proved  defective,  and  the  great  centre  span  fell  in  ruins  causing 
delay,  expense  and  discouragement.  It  was  promptly  repaired,  but 
only  four  years  thereafter,  February  i5th,  1807,  a  great  freshet  and 
run  of  ice  swept  away  the  larger  part  of  the  bridge.  Then  the  pro- 
prietors petitioned  the  General  Court  for  leave  to  raise  money  by 
lottery  to  rebuild,  but  they  were  refused  the  privilege. 

Previous  to  this  re-building,  the  bridge  had  stood  on  the  site  of  the 
present  railroad  bridge ;  this  new  structure  was  moved  up  stream  to 
the  present  location,  and  permanent  stone  piers  were  substituted  for 
wood.  These  piers,  at  times  terribly  damaged  by  ice  and  logs,  and 
since  increased  in  height  and  thoroughly  repaired,  now  support  the 
present  structure,  excepting  that  the  northern  and  southern  abutments 
have  been  entirely  rebuilt,  the  former  somewhat  inland  to  clear  the 
plunge  of  the  dam.  The  first  northern  pier  was  reconstructed  after 
the  great  freshet  and  jam  of  logs  in  1870. 

In  1837  the  late  John  Wilson,  of  Methuen,  built  the  old  structure 
upon  which  many  of  the  first  comers  to  the  new  city  rode  over  more 
than  thirty  years  ago.  It  was  a  primitive  sort  of  affair  without  side- 
walks, the  entire  width  of  twenty  feet  was  still  further  reduced  by 
huge  strengthening  timbers  within  the  high  board  railing,  leaving  but 
seventeen  feet  of  passage  way  crowded  with  travelers  flocking  in  and 
teams  loaded  with  material  for  the  dam,  canal,  new  buildings  and 
mill  foundations  from  the  ledges  of  South  Lawrence  and  elsewhere. 

The  latter  history  of  the  bridge  is  well  known.  The  Essex  Com- 
pany absorbed  it  in  1846.  In  the  spring  of  1848,  the  structure  was 
rebuilt  and  raised  nearly  ten  feet  to  the  level  of  the  railway  line  by 
Stone  &  Harris,  contractors.  The  new  structure  was  a  frame  truss  of 
the  Howe  patent.  Stephen  P.  Simmons,  Esq.,  a  present  resident, 


ROBERT   HASKELL  TEWKSBURY, 

Cashier  of  the  Essex  Company.  Born  in  Hopkinton,  N.  H.,  April  1 1, 
1833.  Has  been  in  Lawrence  twenty-seven  years.  Was  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Assessors  in  1862-3.  City  Treasurer  and  Collector  from 
1864  to  1874.  Mayor  of  Lawrence  1875.  A  member  of  the  board 
having  in  charge  the  Lawrence  Water  Works  since  the  completion  of 
the  same.  Is  secretary  of  the  Old  Residents'  Association  or  Local 
Historical  Society  of  Lawrence.  Married  Angelia  C.  Hawthorne, 
November,  1859  ;  has  two  sons  living.  Resides  at  249  Jackson  St. 


HISTORY   OF   LAWRENCE,    MASS.  59 

raised  and  thoroughly  repaired  the  piers  at  this  time.  In  the  great 
freshet  of  1852,  the  toll-house,  south  abutment  and  fishway  all  went 
down  in  the  rush  of  waters. 

In  1858  the  bridge  was  thoroughly  and  economically  reconstructed 
by  Morris  Knowles,  Esq.,  who  is  still  active  in  life's  duty,  on  the 
present  plan  of  arches  supporting  from  beneath. 

An  Act  of  the  legislature  of  1868,  secured  mainly  by  efforts  of 
our  townsman,  the  Hon.  John  K.  Tarbox,  resulted  in  the  laying  out 
of  this  and  Lawrence  bridge  below  as  a  public  highway.  There  was 
much  rejoicing  at  this  newly  acquired  freedom  from  tolls  which  had 
been  imposed  for  three  quarters  of  a  century,  although  by  the  county 
commissioners'  award  the  city  was  saddled  with  the  expense  of  main- 
taining it  forever.  Judge  N.  W.  Harmon,  served  for  many  years 
as  clerk  and  treasurer  of  this  corporation,  and  Hon.  John  R.  Rollins 
succeeded  him. 

June  20th,  1825,  a  large  number  of  citizens  from  the  region  round 
about,  congregated  upon  the  old  bridge  to  welcome  General  Lafayette 
in  his  triumphal  journey  from  Boston  to  Concord,  N.  H.,  and  the 
north.  He  traveled  in  an  open  carriage,  with  richly  caparisoned 
horses,  and  was  attended  by  noted  men.  Andover  cavalry  and  sev- 
eral companies  of  infantry  acted  as  escort.  At  Methuen  he  met  and 
recognized  an  old  infantry  soldier  of  his  corps,  and  the  citizens  mar- 
shaled by  Major  Benjamin  Osgood  gave  him  a  hearty  welcome.  The 
Andover  cavalry  escorted  him  to  the  New  Hampshire  State  line 
where  he  was  received  with  honors. 

Asa  Pettingill,  the  first  toll  gatherer,  had  a  salary  of  ten  pounds, 
$33.33  per  year  and  the  use  of  toll-house  and  garden.  After  thirty 
years  the  salary  was  raised,  the  directors  formally  voting  to  allow  nine 
dollars  and  one  gallon  of  lamp  oil  per  month  as  salary,  and  to  grant 
the  use  of  the  proprietors'  cooking-stove  for  three  dollars  rental  per 
annum. 


5o  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

At  one  time  the  directors  voted  to  allow  all  going  from  Andover  to 
Methuen  to  church  on  Sunday  to  pass  free  of  toll.  The  toll-man 
was  surprised  at  the  religious  interest  attracting  Andover  people  to 
the  north  bank,  but  on  inquiry  could  learn  of  no  special  awakening. 
Feeling  that  their  liberality  had  been  abused,  they  voted  to  allow  only 
those  known  to  the  toll  man  as  church  goers  to  pass  free,  this  in- 
volved that  official  in  dispute  as  to  the  religious  habits  of  travelers, 
and  it  was  voted  to  charge  saints  and  sinners  alike,  both  Sundays  and 
week  days.  The  record  shows,  however,  that  the  directors  voted  for 
several  years  to  allow  Adolphus  Durant,  Esq.,  with  his  family  to  go 
from  Methuen  to  Andover  to  church  free  of  toll.  They  also  by  re- 
peated votes  gave  that  exemplary  and  indefatigable  pioneer  preacher, 
whose  memory  is  honored  and  revered,  Dr.  George  Packard,  free  use 
of  the  bridge  in  his  journeys  to  and  from  the  new  parish.  This  re- 
cord is  valuable,  showing  that  the  oldest  corporation  had  a  soul,  and 
while  everything  else  paid  toll  the  "good  news"  went  free  to  the 
deserving. 

Junketing  is  not  a  modern  custom.  The  proprietors  of  our  old 
bridge  found  solace  at  the  Shawsheen  corner  taverns  where  their 
meetings  were  held.  In  the  season  of  1802,  Benjamin  Ames,  inn- 
keeper at  the  old  Essex  House,  charged  21  suppers,  19  pints  of  gin, 
4  1-2  mugs  of  toddy  and  4  "boals  of  punch,"  with  a  liberal  supply 
of  brandy.  The  corporation  paid  8  pounds,  14  shillings  and  one 
penny  for  these  sustaining  supplies.  Another  season  they  contracted 
a  bill  of  $13.75  for  "rum,  brandy,  sugar  and  horse  baiting,^'  and  the 
poor  horses  got  but  15  cents  worth  of  supplies.  One  abstemious 
and  economical  director  contracted  at  every  meeting  the  uniform 
charge  of  "half  a  glass  of  rum  and  cne  biscuit."  The  great  bill  of 
liquors  came  when,  in  the  summer  of  1802,  they  rebuilt  the  bridge. 
John  and  Henry  Poor,  innkeepers  at  the  Shawsheen,  supplied  the 
workmen  with  one  hundred  and  eleven  gallons  of  N.  E.  and  W.  I. 
rum,  and  with  142  Ibs.  of  sugar  for  sweetning ;  the  charge  was  made 


EDMUND    R.    HAYDEN, 

Coal  and  Wood  Dealer  at  corner  of  Merrimack  St.  and  Broadway,  and 
Common  St.,  near  north  depot ;  residence  81  Tremont  St.  Resident 
in  Lawrence  since  1853.  Born  at  Harvard,  Mass.,  Dec.  23d,  1819. 
Received  an  ordinary  common  school  education.  Worked  at  stone 
cutting  until  1851,  when  he  went  to  California,  returning  in  April,  1853. 
Married  Charlotte  Fairbanks,  Apr.  4,  1844  >  nas  one  son-  Attends  the 
universalist  church.  Served  as  policeman  from  1854  until  1863  ;  was 
marshal  at  time  of  Pemberton  Mills  disaster,  1860.  Entered  the  wood 
business  in  1863  near  the  depot,  where  W.  P.  Clark's  store  now  stands. 
Bought  out  Wm.  D.  Joplin  in  1866,  and  united  with  F.  L.  Runals  in 
the  wood  and  coal  business,  under  the  firm  name  of  Runals  &  Hayden. 
Bought  out  Mr.  Runals  in  1874,  since  conducting  business  alone. 
Was  chosen  mayor  in  1875,  a°d  held  the  office  in  1876. 


HISTORY   OF   LAWRENCE,   MASS.  6 1 

in  many  items,  and  $142.00  paid  out  of  the  company's  treasury 
therefor.  No  toddy  or  punch  was  supplied  to  laborers,  they  took 
rum  straight  or  went  dry.  Laborers  and  mechanics  then  had  67 
cents  to  $1.00  per  day ;  a  yoke  of  oxen  could  be  hired  for  84  cents 
per  day.  A  night's  lodging  at  the  old  Shawsheen  tavern  appears, 
from  old  bills,  to  have  cost  the  traveler  eight  cents  ;  a  generous  dinner, 
twenty-five  cents ;  a  week's  board,  one  dollar  and  eighty-four  cents. 

There  was  trouble  about  the  toll-man  selling  rum  in  the  early  days. 
A  substantial  citizen  filed  his  remonstrance,  stating  that  he  sold  the 
land  on  which  the  toll-house  stands  with  the  understanding  that  grog 
should  never  be  sold  thereon,  but  he  states  that  said  toll-house  is 
known  to  be  a  flourishing  grog-shop.  In  reading  this  protest  one  ad- 
mires this  old  pioneer  temperance  reformer  for  a  moment,  but  loses 
faith  in  him  when  he  plainly  states  further  on,  that  by  reason  of  such 
sale  his  own  business  as  a  seller  of  grog  at  the  corner,  half  a  mile 
beyond,  had  been  ruined,  and  he  has  been  compelled  to  close  his 
house  of  entertainment.  The  proprietors  appointed  a  committee  to 
secure  a  toll-man  who  would  not  sell  grog.  No  doubt  they  were  suc- 
cessful as  Deacon  James  D.  Herrick,  sat  at  the  receipt  of  tolls  twenty- 
two  years,  faithfully  bearing  witness  against  rum  and  rum-selling  as 
the  vilest  of  abominations,  the  most  flagrant  of  evils. 

What  a  sight  it  would  be  to  stand  upon  this  old  thoroughfare  as  it 
was  four  score  years  ago,  and  see  the  old-time  preachers  of  Andover 
and  Methuen  ambling  over  the  shaking  timbers,  clad  in  saintly  garb, 
the  three  cornered  hat,  cleanly  broadcloth  and  clerical  wig,  mounted 
upon  beasts  of  subdued  aspect,  probably  a  fair  orthodox  wife  on  the 
pillion  behind  her  exemplary  lord.  The  old  doctor,  with  saddle-bags, 
the  one  filled  with  calomel,  seneca,  salts,  emetics  and  like  mild  com- 
pounds for  ordinary  cases,  the  other  with  lancets,  pewter  syringes  of 
all  sizes,  surgeon's  cutlery  and  tooth  pulling  instruments,  sweep  by  on 
his  mission  of  healing.  The  girl  of  that  period,  unused  to  pull-backs 
and  fashions'  devices,  sat  in  the  side-saddle  as  easily  and  gracefully 


62  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

as  the  modern  belle  in  the  cushioned  carriage  and  cantered  over-the 
bridge  as  lovely  and  loveable  as  a  womanly  woman  is  in  all  ages  and 
lands. 

On  muster  and  training  days  the  old  militia  marched  over  the 
swaying  arches,  here  and  there  in  the  ranks,  revolutionary  patriots  in 
regimentals,  that  would  now  excite  derision,  but  which  invested  them 
with  more  than  royal  dignity,  and  awakened  all  the  pride  and  anima- 
tion of  their  patriotic  natures.  On  public  days,  soldier  and  citizen 
drank  punch  from  tubs  made  of  rum-barrels  sawn  in  half.  One  old 
resident  says  he  worked  all  day,  when  a  boy,  pounding  lemons  in 
these  tubs  with  a  maul,  earning  one  cent  each  tub,  and  there  were 
six  other  boys  at  the  same  novel  employment,  in  the  grounds  of  the 
Shawsheen  and  Essex  House,  that  muster  day. 

Among  the  names  of  stockholders  is  that  of  Sir  Grenville  Temple, 
of  England.  Phillips  Academy,  of  Andover,  carried  a  heavy  amount 
for  a  long  time.  Much  stock  was  sold  for  a  song  for  non-payment  of 
assessments. 

The  half  mile  from  the  bridge  to  the  Shawsheen  House  corner, 
was  the  race  track  in  old  times,  where  owners  of  fast  horses  tried 
the  speed  and  endurance  of  their  nags  on  muster,  election  and  ordi- 
nation days. 

About  1814,  some  fifteen  British  officers,  prisoners,  were  quartered 
under  guard  at  this  corner  to  keep  them  away  from  the  shipping  of 
the  ports.  An  old  lady  resident  remembers  them  as  excellent  dan- 
cers, very  good  looking,  very  civil  and  very  gallant  young  men.  She 
added  that  they  were  strangely  hated  by  the  men,  especially  the 
young  men,  and  hate  was  no  name  for  the  feeling  of  the  boys  towards 
the  precocious,  swaggering  little  nigger  they  had  for  a  servant.  He 
tormented  the  bashful  country  boys  with  boasting  how  his  masters 
would  yet  conquer  the  country,  banish  all  the  men,  marry  the  pret- 
tiest girls  and  make  him  overseer  of  the  plantation  of  Shawsheen 
Fields. 


CALEB   SAUNDERS, 

Lawyer.  Office,  Saunders  Block,  246  Essex  St.,  residence  6  Andover 
St.  Born  in  North  Andover,  Sept.  4th,  1838,  and  came  to  Lawrence 
when  five  years  old.  Is  the  son  of  Daniel  Saunders,  Sr.,  the  pioneer 
of  the  city.  He  has  resided  in  Lawrence  from  its  earliest  inception. 
Mr.  Saunders  received  his  early  education  in  the  common  schools,  and 
fitted  for  college  in  the  high  schools  ;  graduated  at  Bowdoin  College  in 
1859.  Married  Carrie  F.  Stickney  in  1865  ;  has  two  children.  Is  a 
regular  attendant  at  Grace  Episcopal  Church.  Enlisted  in  Co.  I,  6th 
Regiment,  Apr.  15,  1861,  and  was  with  the  regiment  in  its  famous 
march  through  Baltimore;  commissioned  first  lieutenant  in  ist  Mass. 
H.  A.  in  1862.  Member  of  common  council  in  1867-9.  Alderman 
in  1873,  and  mayor  in  1877. 


HISTORY   OF    LAWRENCE,  MASS.  63 

The  officers  and  directors  of  the  old  company  were  men  of  note 
and  ability.  Col.  Loami  Baldwin,  first  president,  was  noted  civil  en- 
gineer in  his  day ;  of  his  successors,  Major  Benjamin  Osgood,  of 
Methuen,  was  a  flourishing  farmer  and  householder ;  Gayton  P.  Os- 
good was  a  member  of  Congress  ;  Abbott  Lawrence  was  Minister  to 
the  Court  of  St.  James ;  without  his  word  and  name  Lawrence  would 
not  have  been  founded,  his  word  and  gift  established  the  Franklin 
Li  I  rary,  without  which  the  city  might  still  lack  a  Public  Library. 
Another,  Hon.  Charles  S.  Storrow,  engineered  and  directed  the  build- 
ing of  the  city,  and  his  works  praise  him  in  this  valley. 

The  active  management  of  the  corporation  naturally  fell  into  the 
hands  of  Andover  and  Methuen  owners.  The  first  meeting  of  organ- 
ization was  at  the  inn  of  Brinsley  Stevens.  Mr.  Nehemiah  Abbott, 
Captain  Caleb  Swan,  and  Mr.  Benjamin  Poor,  were  the  first  resident 
directors.  Mr.  Abbott  was  vice-president  of  the  board,  and  seems  to 
have  been  a  sort  of  managing  director.  Major  Joseph  Stevens  was 
first  treasurer,  serving  many  years ;  his  successors  were  Captain  John 
Kneeland,  Amos  Blanchard,  Joseph  Rice,  some  of  them  serving  more 
than  twenty  years.  The  first  clerk  was  Deacon  John  Huse,  of  Me- 
thuen, succeeded  by  Samuel  Abbott  Kneeland,  Amos  Blanchard, 
Samuel  Phillips,  John  Flint  and  Joseph  Rice. 

Hon.  John  Phillips  and  Ezra  Abbott  of  Andover,  and  Zadock 
Bodwell,  of  Methuen,  were  also  prominent  directors,  the  former  for  a 
time  president. 

It  would  amuse  modern  referees  to  read  the  record  ordering  the 
employment  of  a  commission  of  three  "artists"  to  examine  the  con- 
dition of  the  bridge,  and  report  thereon,  and  finding  the  three  artists 
charging  collectively  three  dollars  for  the  service.  At  another  time  a 
mechanical  "expert "was  employed  to  pass  judgment  at  an  expense 
of  a  dollar  and  a  half.  The  modern  expert  and  artist  would  hardly 
look  at  the  ordinary  mortal  for  those  trivial  amounts. 


64  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

An  old  gentleman  tells  a  story  of  one  of  the  directors.  He  \vas  a 
great  farmer,  given  to  experimenting.  A  spring  freshet  brought  up 
great  quantities  of  eels,  and,  subsiding,  left  them  high  and  dry  in 
pools  and  hollows.  He  conceived  the  idea  of  boiling  them  and 
feeding  to  swine,  of  which  he  had  many.  His  old  hired  man  re- 
monstrated, telling  him  it  was  "agin  natur  to  try  and  fatten  pork  with 
fish,"  besides,  Deacon,  he  says,  "if  you  succeed  we  shan't  know  what 
we're  eatin',  pork  or  lamper  eels."  But  the  deacon  had  a  cart  load 
of  eels  drawn  up  to  the  barn,  he  filled  the  great  kettles  in  the  back 
kitchen  with  eels,  Indian  meal  and  water,  kindled  the  fire  and  lay- 
down  for  a  doze.  But  animals  that  squirm  in  the  frying  pan  would 
not  submit  to  boiling  without  protest,  the  hot  water  revived  them  all 
and  each  one  became  an  agonizing  serpent.  They  covered  the  floor 
of  the  old  room,  writhing  in  their  agony,  and  knocking  the  fire  brands 
about  the  floor.  The  deacon  nerved  himself  for  the  contest  and 
commenced  the  slaughter  of  the  innocents ;  an  old  negro,  a  new 
comer,  who  lived  with  a  neighbor,  and  knew  nothing  of  live  eels, 
heard  the  outcry,  and  looking  in  saw  the  sea  of  serpents  and  fire 
brands,  with  the  good  man  laying  about  him.  He  ran  howling  home, 
s  lying  that  more  than  a  thousand  devils  had  got  the  deacon  penned 
up  in  the  kitchen,  but  he  was  fighting  and  prevailing  against  them 
calling  mightily  on  the  Lord  for  help.  The  deacon  said,  though  they 
were  not  Satanic  foes,  it  was  the  hardest  job  of  his  life  to  subdue 
those  eels,  maintain  his  standing  as  deacon,  and  at  the  same  time 
express  himself  in  language  sufficiently  emphatic. 

Eighty-five  years  have  passed  since  John  Hancock  first  legalized 
the  charter  for  the  ancient  bridge.  For  half  a  century  thereafter  the 
bridge  itself  was  the  solitary  evidence  of  substantial  progress  in  this 
valley.  In  all  the  plain  no  church  spire  pointed  to  heaven,  no  un- 
usual enterprise  disturbed  the  dreamy  quiet ;  the  Merrimack  rolled 
unchecked  to  the  sea.  Many  a  time  did  our  Lawrence  pioneer, 
Daniel  Saunders,  now  gone  to  his  rest,  rein  up  old  "  Snow  Ball,"  the 


Grocer,  343  Essex  St. ;  residence,  24  Lowell  St.  Has  been  in  Law- 
rence nearly  26  years.  Born  at  Stanstead,  P.  Q.,  Jan.  14,  1832.  His 
Honor  James  R.  Simpson  commenced  life  in  humble  circumstances. 
Worked  on  a  farm  and  attended  common  school  and  the  Wesleyan 
Academy,  being  employed  as  a  teacher  when  fifteen.  Married  Julia  H. 
Coan  in  1860  ;  has  two  children.  Holds  liberal  views  and  attends  the 
Unitarian  church.  Came  to  this  State  in  1 849  ;  was  first  employed  in 
Boston,  and  afterwards  at  Manchester,  N.  H.  Print  Works,  for  so'me 
time  having  charge  of  a  room.  Removed  to  Lawrence,  intending  to 
pursue  the  same  business,  but  subsequently  entered  into  mercantile 
pursuits,  in  which  he  is  now  engaged  under  firm  name  of  James  R. 
Simpson  &  Co.  Common  council,  1863  ;  elected  mayor  for  1878. 


HISTORY   OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  65 

white  horse  he  rode,  to  the  tumbling  rapids,  as  he  crossed  the  old 
bridge,  and  dream  of  the  possibility  of  harnessing  that  wasting  power 
to  the  machinery  of  workshops  and  mills,  thus  consummating,  as 
Whittier  has  it,  the  marriage  of  Beauty  with  Use. 

In  March,  1845,  fourteen  gentlemen  of  means,  skill  and  enterprise, 
stood  upon  the  bridge,  with  a  newly  granted  charter  to  improve  the 
power  at  these  falls.  Then  and  there  they  rudely  conceived  the  plan 
which,  developed  and  persistently  followed,  has  dotted  this  plain  with 
spires,  and  reared  upon  the  river  bank  a  file  of  great  workshops,  the 
centre  and  support  of  ten  thousand  homes. 

The  four  square  miles  of  barren  plain  surrounding  old  Andover 
bridge  are  no  longer  unimportant.  Industries  have  developed  there- 
on, gathering  raw  material  from  the  wide  world  and  scattering  finished 
products  far  and  near.  Old  residents  by  firesides  on  every  hillside  and 
valley  of  the  land,  follow  with  loving  interest  the  fortunes  of  children 
who  have  left  their  homes,  bringing  to  this  new  born  city  strength  of 
muscle,  skill  of  hand,  and  cunning  of  brain,  to  barter  as  merchandise 
for  honest  livelihood  and  ultimate  riches  in  this  labor  market  of  the 
world's  busiest  valley. 

In  humble  homes  of  many  lands  across  the  sea  old  residents  doze 
and  dream  vaguely  of  a  new  and  vigorous  city  on  the  banks  of  an 
American  river,  where  their  children  thrive  by  labor  and  their  daugh- 
ters' children  enjoy  the  new  found  privileges  of  free  American  life. 

The  prophecy  and  promise  of  the  old  time  has  been  fulfilled.  A 
little  one  has  become  a  thousand,  a  small  one  a  strong  nation.  The 
solitary  place  is  glad  for  them  ;  the  desert  rejoices  and  blossoms  as 
the  rose. 


VII. 

THE   CHURCHES. 


It  is  an  incontrovertible  fact  that  the  Church  of  G.od  stands  nearer 
the  sympathies  of  the  people  than  any  other  institution.  So  long  as 
men  are  .mortal,  religion  comes  in  as  a  practical  solace  and  support. 
Human  philosophy  is  no  consolation  in  bereavement.  And,  though 
men  are  learning  more  every  day  that  true  religion  should  be  shrouded 
in  no  mystery,  the  heart  can  never  be  made  believe  that  "  Marseill- 
aise" and  'Yankee  Doodle"  are  as  suitable  for  obsequies  as  the  fu- 
neral psalm  which  hushed  the  old  Christian  mother  to  her  last  sleep  ; 
neither  can  the  lectures  of  scientists  on  bioplasms  or  homogeneous 
matter  fill  a  void  in  the  human  heart. 

An  All-wise  Providence  has  put  it  into  the  hearts  of  all  His  rational 
creatures  to  worship.  It  is  as  natural  as  it  is  to  love.  Every  man 
has  his  object  of  adoration  and  even 

"  The  heathen  in  his  blindness 
Bows  down  to  wood  and  stone." 

It  is  not  strange  then  that  the  comers  to  the  "new  city"  should  at 
once  cast  about  them  for  a  place  to  hold  meetings.  The  men  who 
first  came  to  found  the  city  were  of  the  primitive  New  England  stock, 
but  they  were  soon  followed  by  a  train  of  laborers  of  all  extractions, 
though  largely  Irish,  many  of  them  direct  from  the  Emerald  Isle. 
All  sects  had  an  eye  to  the  establishment  of  a  church  in  accordance 
with  their  peculiar  tenets.  It  is  a  fact  in  history  that  men  of  the 
Congregational  belief  were  the  first  to  inaugurate  public  religious 
worship.  In  the  month  of  April,  1846,  the  same  month  that  the 
Essex  Company  had  the  first  land  sale,  arrangements  were  made  for 
a  preaching  service  in  the  Essex  Company's  Broadway  boarding 


THOMAS  CLEGG, 

Manufacturer  of  Loom  Reeds  and  Harnesses,  also  Leather  Board  ; 
mill  on  South  Canal,  Lawrence,  Mass.  Residence,  33  Prospect  St. 
Has  been  in  Lawrence  thirteen  years.  Born  at  Rochdale,  England, 
Jan.  8,  1820.  At  the  early  age  of  eleven  years  he  engaged  in  the 
trade  of  reed  and  harness  making,  and  is  therefore  familiar  with  it  in 
every  detail.  In  184 1  he  came  to  this  country  and  located  in  Andover, 
and  in  1862  he  came  to  this  city,  engaging  in  the  reed  and  harness 
business  in  1865.  In  1876  he  moved  to  the  new  mill  on  the  south 
canal  and  added  the  manufacture  of  leather  board  to  his  other  rapidly 
increasing  business.  Mr.  Clegg  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  alder- 
men from  Ward  I,  in  1875,  1876  a,nd  1878. 


QUARTER-CENTENNIAL   HISTORY   OF   LAWRENCE,   MASS.  67 

house,  where  now  stands  the  store  of  E.  W.  Pierce.  The  sermon  was  de- 
livered by  Rev.  Silas  Curtis,  a  Freewill  Baptist  clergyman.  During 
the  summer  of  the  same  year  services  were  held  in  the  Durant 
school  house,  and  a  Sabbath  School  was  organized  by  the  Congrega- 
tionalists,  and  they  also  made  arrangements  and  commenced  the 
erection  of  a  vestry.  The  Methodists  also  commenced  to  organize 
that  summer  and  had  preaching  service  one  Sabbath. 

EPISCOPALS. 

The  first  place  of  worship  was  completed  for  occupancy,  and  was  oc- 
cupied on  the  second  Sabbath  of  October  that  same  year,  (1846.)    It 


REV.    GEORGE   PACKARD. 


was  where  Grace  Chapel  now  stands  on  Garden  street.     Rev.  George 
Packard  rode  over  from  North  Andover  that  morning  and  conducted 


HISTORY    OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  69 

around  us,  we  may  well  fear  and  tremble  ;  looking  upward,  we  have 
confidence  and  hope.  Upon  this  and  other  kindred  assurances  of  our 
Lord  and  Master,  the  Church  collectively  may,  should  rest.  Our 
trust  is  not  in  an  arm  of  flesh,  but  in  the  Lord,  mighty  and  willing  to 
show  mercy.  We  must  not  lose  sight  of  these  promises  for  good  to 
Zion.  We  must  plead  earnestly  and  perseveringly  before  the  throne, 
and  if  we  do,  having  faith,  and  that  faith  leading  to  humble,  prayer- 
ful, and  untiring  effort,  our  experience  will  be  that  "  not  one  good 
thing  hath  failed  us  of  all  that  the  Lord  hath  spoken." 

Mr.  Packard  gave  notice  that  a  Sunday  School  would  be  opened 
the  next  Sunday,  and  on  that  day,  October  :8th,  there  were  three 
teachers  and  eight  scholars.  November,  ipth,  1846,  the  church  was 
consecrated  under  the  title  of  Grace  church,  by  Bishop  Eastburn. 
In  ten  years  more  the  society  had  grown  so  that  a  new  edifice  was 
needed,  and  the  present  stone  structure  was  decided  on.  It  was  con- 
secrated in  May,  1852,  by  Bishop  Eastburn.  At  that  time  the  walls 
were  uncolored  and  they  remained  so  till  1860,  when  they  were  painted 
and  a  window  of  stained  glass  put  in  the  chancel.  Dr.  Packard 
closed  his  earthly  pilgrimage  November  3Oth,  1876,  having  completed 
a  thirty  years'  pastorate  of  the  church.  To  him  the  city  as  well  as 
Grace  church  is  largely  indebted.  The  funeral  was  largely  attended, 
Bishop  Paddock  conducting  the  service.  An  affecting  incident  was 
the  presence  of  two  old  gentlemen — one  named  DeRinzey,  a  resi- 
dent of  the  city,  almost  at  death's  door  himself,  the  other  a  colored 
barber  of  Ward  Six,  both  having  attended  the  first  service  Dr.  Pack- 
ard preached  in  Lawrence. 

About  a  year  before  Dr.  Packard's  death,  Rev.  Wm.  Lawrence  had 
been  engaged  as  assistant,  and  after  death,  Mr.  Lawrence  was  made 
rector  and  still  remains  in  that  position.  A  beautiful  memorial  win- 
dow, commemorative  of  Dr.  Packard,  has  lately  been  put  in  the 
chancel  of  the  church. 


•JO  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

St.  John's  church,  now  worshipping  on  Bradford  street,  began  to 
hold  services  in  the  engine  house  on  Morton  street.  Dr.  Packard 
and  others  officiating.  The  church  was  first  built  on  Morton  street 
on  a  lot  adjoining  the  engine  house.  In  1869  the  church  was  re- 
moved to  Bradford  street  where  it  now  stands.  Its  first  rector  was 
Prof.  Allen,  who  remained  one  year,  Rev.  Mr.  Lee  four  years,  and  the 
Rev.  Belno  A.  Brown  left  this  year,  after  a  five  years'  rectorship,  to  or- 
ganize a  new  church  in  Methuen.  The  present  rector  of  St.  John's 
is  the  Rev.  Mr.  Wells.  About  five  years  ago  a  surpliced  choir  was  intro- 
duced under  the  distinguished  leadership  of  Mr.  Charles  Abercrom- 
bie,  who  is  now  principal  tenor  at  Her  Majesty's  Chapel  Royal.  The 
church  building  cost  about  $8,000,  which  was  all  subscribed  and  the 
edifice  consecrated  about  four  years  ago  by  the  present  Bishop  of 
Massachusetts. 

Mr.  Frederick  Butler  who  took  a  very  active  interest  in  St.  John's 
church  was  senior  warden  until  two  years  ago,  when  he  resigned  in 
favor  of  Mr.  James  Walton,  the  present  incumbent.  There  are  now 
about  250  communicants.  A  rectory  is  now  in  contemplation  by  the 
wardens  and  vestry,  and  is  expected  to  be  built  in  a  very  short  time 
on  a  piece  of  land  adjoining  the  church. 

CONGREGATIONALISTS. 

The  believers  of  this  faith  were  first  to  organize  for  religious  pur- 
poses. Qn  the  i2th  of  June,  1846,  nine  persons  petitioned  John 
Tenney,  Esq.,  of  Methuen,  to  issue  a  warrant  calling  a  meeting  to 
organize  a  Congregational  Society  in  "  Essex  City,"  in  Methuen  ;  and 
on  the  8th  of  August,  accordingly,  was  organized  the  "Merrimack 
Congregational  Society,"  since  transformed  into  the  Lawrence  Street 
Society,  and  a  house,  44  by  30  feet,  was  soon  after  commenced,  oc- 
cupying nearly  the  site  of  the  present  building ;  this  was  so  far  com- 
pleted as  to  be  occupied  for  service  in  December,  and  was  dedicated 


JOSEPH   SHATTUCK, 

Grocer,  corner  of  Essex  and  Amesbury  Streets.  Has  been  in  the  city 
since  its  commencement.  Born  in  Andover,  in  1827.  Educated  at 
Phillips  Academy.  Entered  the  grocery  of  Josiah  Crosby  (the  first 
grocery  store  opened  in  the  town)  as  clerk,  in  1845.  Succeeded  Mr. 
Crosby,  engaging  in  business  for  himself  in  1850.  A  year  later  he 
was  joined  in  business  by  his  brother,  Charles  W.,  the  firm  contin- 
uing to  the  present  time.  Increasing  business  demanded  the  build- 
ing of  their  present  brick  block  two  years  ago.  Mr.  Shattuck  is  a 
director  of  the  Bay  State  National  Bank ;  president  of  the  Essex  Sav- 
ings Bank,  and  a  director  of  the  Lowell  &  Lawrence  R.  R.  Married 
Maria  Cobb  in  1857  ;  has  three  children.  Is  at  present  a  member  of 
the  board  of  aldermen,  from  Ward  III. 


HISTORY    OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  71 

January  loth,  1847.  The  next  Sunday,  Rev.  Lyman  Whiting,  of 
North  Brookfield,  preached  his  first  sermon  to  the  new  society.  The 
church  was  organized  by  an  ecclesiastical  council  April  gtii,  with 
twenty-nine  members,  and  on  June  i6th,  Rev.  Lyman  Whiting  was 
installed  pastor.  The  present  house  of  worship  was  dedicated  Octo- 
ber nth,  1848.  Mr.  Whiting  was  dismissed  in  January  1850,  and 
Rev.  Henry  M.  Storrs,  of  Braintree,  was  ordained  over  the  church, 
January  i5th,  1852,  and  remained  its  pastor  till  March  ist,  1855, 
Rev.  George  B.  Wilcox  was  pastor  from  September  24th,  1856,  to 
April  i3th,  1859,  and  Rev.  Caleb  Ellis  Fisher  from  April  i3th,  1859, 
to  October  1874. 

Mr.  Fisher  was  pastor  over  this  church  fifteen  years,  the  long- 
est term  of  service  rendered  by  any  one  clergyman — and  to  his 
eminent  service  the  present  prosperity  of  the  church  is  largely  due. 
Next  to  Dr.  Packard  he  was  the  most  representative  minister  ever 
settled  in  the  city.  He  was  earnest  in  the  faith,  but  his  love  was  as 
broad  as  the  brotherhood  of  man.  His  life-work  was  here,  and  soon 
after  he  left,  his  health  failed  and  he  lived  but  a  short  time. 

Rev.  Joshua  Coit,  the  present  pastor,  was  installed  May  23d,  1874. 
The  present  membership  of  the  church  is  569.  The  Sunday  school 
membership  is  307. 

The  Central  Congregational  Church  of  Lawrence,  was  organized 
Dec.  25,  1849.  Rev.  H.  M.  Dexter  preached  the  sermon  on  that 
occasion,  and  Rev.  Lyman  Whiting,  then  pastor  of  the  Lawrence 
Street  Church  in  this  place,  gave  the  fellowship  of  the  churches.  On 
the  Sabbath  following,  the  new  church  commenced  public  religious 
services  in  the  City  Hall,  which  they  continued  to  occupy  until  the 
first  Sabbath  in  August,  1854,  when  they  removed  to  their  new  house- 
of  worship,  a  substantial  brick  building,  at  the  corner  of  Essex  and 
Appleton  streets.  On  Friday,  the  i2th  of  August,  1859,  at  a  little 
past  noon,  this  new  house  was  destroyed  by  fire.  On  the  Sabbath 
following,  the  congregation  assembled  in  the  City  Hall,  where  they 


72  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

continued  to  worship  about  four  months.  The  regular  services  of 
the  church  and  Sunday  school  during  this  period,  were  uninterrupted  ; 
the  evening  meetings  being  held  in  the  chapel  of  Grace  Church,  on 
Garden  street. 

On  the  3Oth  of  September,  seven  weeks  after  the  destruction  of 
the  former  house  of  worship,  the  corner  stone  of  a  new  one  was  laid 
with  appropriate  services,  on  a  lot  secured  for  the  purpose  on  Haver- 
hill  street,  north  of  the  Common.  On  the  second  Sabbath  of  Jan- 
uary, 1860,  the  congregation  met  for  worship  in  the  basement  of 
their  new  stone  building,  which  was  so  arranged  as  to  accommodate 
them  with  very  slight  inconvenience.  On  the  8th  of  June,  1860,  the 
whole  building  was  dedicated  to  the  Triune  God,  a  sermon  being 
preached  on  the  occasion  by  the  pastor,  Rev.  Daniel  Tenney,  from 
Haggai,  ii :  9. 

Rev.  Lyman  Whiting  and  Rev.  E.  Whittlesey  first  served  the 
church  as  stated  supply.  The  first  pastor  was  Rev.  W.  C.  Foster, 
January  16,  1852.  February  17,  1857,  Rev.  Daniel  Tenney  succeed- 
ed him  and  was  followed  by  Rev.  Mr.  Cordley,  who  passed  away 
from  earth  while  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  here.  Rev.  W.  E. 
Park  was  the  only  pastor  between  Mr.  Cordley  and  the  present  pas- 
tor, Rev.  Geo.  H.  Ide.  The  latter  was  installed  November  i,  1876. 
Number  of  members  343. 

A  Sabbath  school  composed  of  the  children  and  adult  members  of 
the  congregation,  was  early  organized,  and  has  uniformly  been  in  a 
flourishing  condition. 

In  August  1865,  a  joint  meeting  of  the  Lawrence  street  and  Cen- 
tral churches  unanimously  resolved  that  a  third  Congregational  church 
was  needed,  and  on  the  30th,  ten  persons  met,  proposing  to  join  in 
the  formation  of  the  new  church.  Wm.  A.  Russell,  Geo.  A.  Fuller, 
C.  A.  Brown,  E.  E.  Foster  and  B.  T.  Bourne  were  appointed  a  build- 
ing committee.  September  28th  it  was  voted  to  organize  the  Eliot 
church,  and  on  the  first  day  of  October  the  first  public  service  of  the 


GEORGE  SANBORN, 

Carpenter,  for  Essex  Company.  Residence  99  Bradford  street.  Has 
been  in  Lawrence  33  years,  being  one  of  the  earliest  comers  to  the 
"new  city,"  and  in  the  employ  of  the  Essex  Company  since  its  or- 
ganization. Mr.  Sanborn  was  born  in  Epping,  N.  H.,  1823,  and 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade  before  coming  to  this  city.  Had  a 
common  school  education.  Has  a  family — wife  and  two  children. 
Attends  Lawrence  Street  Congregationalist  church.  Was  a  member 
of  Common  Council  1875-76,  and  is  Alderman  from  Ward  IV  the 
present  year. 


HISTORY   OF    LAWRENCE,  MASS.  73 

church  was  held  in  the  City  Hall,  Prof.  J.  H.  Thayer,  of  Andover 
Theological  Seminary  preaching.  October  4th  the  church  was  rec- 
ognized by  council,  ground  having  been  broken  two  days  before  for 
the  present  edifice..  The  original  membership  was  32.  In  June  1866, 
the  church  voted  to  invite  Rev.  Wm.  Franklin  Snow,  who  had  been 
supplying  the  pulpit  for  four  months,  to  become  its  pastor.  The 
house  was  dedicated  September  6th,  and  on  the  i3th  following  Mr. 
Snow  was  installed  as  pastor.  His  ministry  was  terminated  by  death 
January  n,  1871.  During  his  pastorate  the  church  gained  from  42 
to  216.  On  the  28th  of  April  1871,  it  was  voted  to  extend  to  Rev. 
T.  T.  Hunger  a  call  to  be  pastor  of  the  church,  which  was  accepted 
on  the  27th  of  April,  and,  on  the  i4th  of  June  following,  a  council 
was  summoned  to  install  the  newly  elected  pastor,  the  installation 
sermon  being  given  by  Rev.  J.  M.  Manning,  D.  D.,  of  the  old  South 
church,  Boston.  Soon  after  the  beginning  of  the  new  ministry  a 
society  was  formed  to  take  charge  of  the  property  of  the  church- 
On  the  20th  of  January  1875,  Mr.  Munger  resigned  the  pastorate  on 
account  of  the  illness  of  his  family.  The  resignation  was  regretfully 
accepted,  and  on  the  2ist  of  February  1875,  Mr.  Munger  closed  his 
labors  with  the  Eliot  church,  a  sorrow  to  a  great  many  people.  On 
the  5th  of  February  1875,  a  ca^  was  extended  to  Rev.  J.  H.  Bar- 
rows to  become  pastor  of  the  church.  This  was  accepted  and  on 
the  1 4th  of  March  following,  Mr.  Barrows  began  his  labors.  On  the 
29th  of  April  he  was  ordained  and  installed,  Rev.  E.  K.  Alden,  D.  D. 
of  Boston,  preaching  the  sermon.  Mr.  Barrows  is  with  the  church 
to-day.  The  growth  of  the  church  has  been  rapid,  having  increased 
from  42  in  1865  to  236.  During  Mr.  Barrows'  ministry  102  mem- 
bers have  been  added.  The  Sunday  School  membership  is  now  215. 
The  South  Congregational  church  originated  in  a  Sunday  School 
first  convened  by  M.  C.  Andrews  and  J.  B.  Fairfield  in  a  school 
house  on  Andover  street  in  1852.  The  school  was  continued  till 
1857  by  the  founders.  At  that  time  Geo.  A.  Fuller  became  connected 


74  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

with  it,  and  it  \vas  soon  removed  to  the  engine  house  and  then  to  the 
passenger  room  of  the  Boston  and  Maine  depot,  where  it  was  held 
till  its  friends  built  a  small  chapel  which  was  dedicated  in  1859.  In 
1 86 1  the  chapel  was  enlarged.  In  1869  it  was  again  too  small  and 
that  year  the  building  now  occupied  was  built,  being  dedicated  De- 
cember 25th.  An  effort  was  made  to  have  regular  services  there,  and 
Prof.  Edwards  A.  Park,  of  Andover  Theological  Seminary,  began  to 
supply  the  pulpit  in  October  1865,  continuing  to  do  so  for  three 
years.  Mr.  Fuller  left  the  school  in  1 866  to  join  the  newly  formed 
Eliot  church.  To  Mr.  Fuller's  energy  is  largely  due  the  success  of 
the  South  Lawrence  enterprise.  Joel  Barnes  succeeded  Mr.  Fuller  as 
superintendent,  and  was  followed  by  George  Hardy,  J.  K.  Cole,  and 
the  present  superintendent,  J.  H.  Lovett.  The  church  was  organized 
May  i8th,  1868,  but  had  no  regular  pastor  till  1873.  Rev.  James  G. 
Dougherty  supplied  the  desk  one  year  beginning  October  1869,  and 
in  March  1870,  Rev.  L.  Z.  Ferris  began  a  term  as  acting  pastor  and 
continued  two  years.  January  ist,  1873,  tne  present  pastor,  Rev- 
Clark  Carter,  began  pastoral  duty  and  was  installed  January  3oth. 
The  church  organized  with  47  members  and  now  has^gS,  65  having 
joined  during  Mr.  Carter's  pastorate.  The  Sunday  School  is  a  flour- 
ishing department  of  the  church  and  numbers  about  145. 

There  are  two  other  Congregational  churches  in  the  city.  The 
Tower  Hill  Congregationalist  was  organized  in  1877.  This  body  of 
worshippers  were  organized  under  the  name  of  Trinity  Methodists  in 
1872,  but  in  a  few  years  it  was  found  that  a  large  majority  of  the  at- 
tendants was  in  full  sympathy  with  the  Congregational  faith,  and  accord- 
ingly the  name  of  the  church  was  changed.  They  have  no  settled 
minister  at  present. 

On  the  gth  of  March  1878,  forty-three  out  of  fifty  two  worshippers 
desiring  to  have  the  Riverside  Sunday  School  instituted  into  a  Cong- 
regational church,  a  conference  was  convened  that  day  and  the  church 
fully  instituted.  The  pulpit  is  supplied  from  the  Andover  Institution. 


LUTHER   LADD, 

Treasurer  and  Agent  of  the  Lawrence  Lumber  Company.  Office  at 
Essex  Yard.  Has  been  in  Lawrence  thirty-two  years.  Was  born  at 
Gilmanton,  N.  H.,  in  1821.  In  early  life  he  worked  at  lumbering  and 
in  a  saw  mill.  Engaged  with  the  Lawrence  Lumber  Company  soon 
after  arriving  in  this  city,  and  has  continued  his  connection  with  said 
company  ever  since.  Resides  at  9  Morton  Street ;  his  family  consists 
of  a  wife  and  two  children.  Is  a  regular  attendant  at  the  Lawrence 
Street  Congregational  Church.  Mr.  Ladd  is  one  of  the  directors  of 
the  Bay  State  National  Bank  ;  has  been  chief  engineer  of  the  Lawrence 
Fire  Department  seventeen  years.  Alderman  in  1862  and  the  pres- 
ent year. 


HISTORY   OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  75 

BAFI'ISTS. 

Soon  after  the  commencement  of  active  operations  by  the  Essex 
Company,  a  few  individuals — Ephriam  Ward,  Jr.,  Elbridge  Weston, 
Wm.  Hardy,  Asa  H.  Gould,  J.  C.  Whitney,  Samuel  Easter,  and  S. 
Lyford,  feeling  the  necessity  of  establishing  their  identity  as  Baptists, 
consulted  together  at  the  house  of  Samuel  Easter.  The  result  was  a 
determination  to  have  occasional  preaching  from  ministers  of  their 
own  denomination.  On  Sunday,  February  i4th,  1847,  Rev.  Mr.  Fitz 
preached  the  first  sermon  to  a  Baptist  congregation,  in  the  "Old 
School-house,"  then  located  near  what  is  now  the  site  of  the  first 
Methodist  church.  Meetings  were  held  and  occasional  sermons 
preached,  but  no  definite  steps,  of  which  there  is  any  record,  were 
taken,  looking  to  an  organization,  until  March  nth,  1847,  when  a 
meeting  was  held  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Samuel  Easter  "for  the  purpose 
of  considering  the  propriety  of  forming  a  Baptist  church,  and  to  take 
measures  in  regard  to  erecting  a  house  of  worship."  Committees 
were  appointed  to  "deliberate  upon  the  question  whether  the  owner- 
ship should  be  vested  in  the  church  or  in  a  society,  and  to  select  a 
site  upon  which  to  build."  At  a  subsequent  meeting,  March  25th, 
the  committee  reported  in  favor  of  vesting  the  ownership  of  all  prop- 
erty in  a  society,  and  the  lot  in  the  rear  of  the  present  edifice  was 
selected  as  a  building  lot  for  a  temporary  house  of  worship.  At  this 
meeting  a  committee  to  raise  funds  to  build  a  house  was  appointed, 
and  a  constitution  informally  adopted.  The  first  blow  was  struck 
upon  the  temporary  house,  March  26th,  1847,  and  was  occupied  for 
the  first  time  on  the  i4th  of  April.  This  house  was  25  by  40  feet, 
and  was  abundantly  capacious  for  the  wants  of  the  society  at  that 
time.  But  on  the  28th  of  November,  in  the  same  year,  the  demand 
for  seats  could  not  be  supplied,  and  an  addition  of  twenty-five  feet 
was  made  to  its  length.  So  rapid,  however,  was  the  increase  of  the 
society  that  it  was  found  necessary  to  take  immediate  steps  toward 


76  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

the  erection  of  a  permanent  house  of  worship.  June  i2th,  1849, 
ground  was  broken  upon  the  site  of  the  present  edifice,  which  was 
given  to  the  society  by  the  Essex  Company. .  The  basement  was 
finished  and  occupied  on  the  first  Sunday  in  January,  1850.  On  the 
20th  of  October,  1850,  the  house  was  dedicated  to  the  worship  of 
God,  Rev.  J.  G.  Richardson  preaching  the  dedicatory  sermon  from 
Psalms,  93  :  5. 

Convinced  of  the  necessity  of  securing  the  labors  of  an  efficient 
under-shepherd  to  watch  over  the  interests  of  the  flock  gathered  in 
this  young  but  enterprising  city,  on  the  5th  of  September  the  church 
extended  a  call  to  the  Rev.  J.  G.  Richardson  to  become  their  pastor, 
which  he  accepted,  and  on  the  2Oth  of  October,  he  entered  upon  his 
labors  with  them,  and  was  publicly  installed  as  pastor,  December  5th, 
1847.  He  remained  till  July,  1853.  December  27th,  1853,  Rev.  A. 
W.  Sawyer  was  ordained  and  installed  over  the  church.  He  remained 
two  years  and  three  months.  In  1856  Rev.  Frank  Remington  was 
installed,  and  began  his  labor  on  the  first  of  September.  Mr.  Rem- 
ington resigned  in  August  1859,  and  the  pulpit  was  supplied  for 
some  months  by  Rev.  J.  Sella  Martin.  In  December  1859,  Rev. 
Henry  F.  Lane  was  called.  He  left  in  November  1862  to  accept  the 
chaplaincy  of  the  4ist  (three  years)  regiment  Mass,  volunteers.  In 
August,  1863,  the  next  pastor,  Rev.  George  Knox,  began  his  work, 
and  he  too  left  to  become  chaplain  of  the  2gih  Maine- regiment.  He 
was  killed  in  Washington  by  being  thrown  from  his  horse.  Septem- 
ber i,  1865,  Rev.  Dr.  Geo.  W.  Bosworth  became  pastor,  remaining 
three  years  and  four  months.  He  was  succeeded  by  the  present  pas- 
tor, John  B.  Gough  Pidge,  who  was  ordained  September  8,  1869. 

The  Second  Baptist  church  was  organized  in  September,  1860, 
with  67  members,  all  from  the  ist  Baptist  church.  Rev.  Frank  Rem- 
ington was  the  first  pastor.  They  held  services  for  a  few  months  in 
the  City  Hall,  when  a  chapel  was  purchased  of  the  Christian  Baptists 
on  Common  street,  near  where  the  carriage  house  connected  with 


SILAS   H.    LORING, 

Tobacconist,  241  Essex  St. ;  residence  49  Farnham  St.  Has  been  in 
Lawrence  15  years.  Born  at  West  Boylston,  Mass.,  Sept.  18,  1833. 
Received  a  common  school  education,  and  is  a  mechanic  by  trade. 
Married  Carrie  B.  Hyde  of  Cambridgeport,  in  1855  ;  has  three  sons. 
Is  a  Universalist  in  his  church  connections.  Served  as  an  enlisted  man 
in  the  5ist  Mass.  Regiment,  in  the  nine  month's  service  in  the 
department  of  North  Carolina,  and  was  for  two  years  quartermaster  of 
Needham  Post,  No.  39,  G.  A.  R.  Was  the  only  republican  member 
of  the  board  of  aldermen  in  1877,  being  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy 
caused  by  death  of  Alderman  Howard.  Mr.  Loring  took  an  active 
interest  in  offering  to  the  Boston  &  Lowell  Railroad  easy  access  to  the 
city  by  the  new  route,  and  also  in  the  purchase  of  Den  Rock  for  cem- 
etery purposes.  Alderman  from  Ward  VI,  the  present  year. 


HISTORY    OF   LAWRENCE,    MASS.  77 

Stowell  &  Spalding's  stable  now  stands.  This  chapel  was  afterwards 
moved  to  the  lot  of  land  the  church  now  occupies,  enlarged  and 
opened  for  worship  January  nth,  1865.  In  1874  the  house  of  wor- 
ship having  become  too  small  for  the  congregation,  the  old  chapel 
was  torn  down  and  the  present  church  edifice  built  and  opened  for 
worship  in  November  of  the  same  year.  The  church  has  had  for 
pastors  :  Revs.  Frank  Remington,  C.  F.  Tolman,  Henry  A.  Cooke, 
L.  L.  Wood,  George  W.  Gile.  The  present  pastor,  Mr.  Gile,  was 
settled  July  ist,  1873.  There  have  been  received  into  the  church 
since  its  organization  more  than  one  thousand  members.  Present 
number,  698. 

The  Olive  Baptist  church,  (colored)  was  organized  in  1871.  Rev- 
W.  H.  Garrett  has  been  pastor  since  its  organization.  It  has  a  mem- 
bership of  43. 

FREE    BAPTISTS. 

The  organization  of  this  church  took  place  January  i7th,  1847, 
with  twelve  members.  The  first  pastor  was  Rev.  J.  E.  Davis,  now 
deceased,  who  remained  with  the  church  about  three  years,  in  which 
time  sixty-four  members  were  added.  Rev.  J.  Woodman,  known  as 
"  Father  Woodman,"  assumed  the  pastoral  charge  October  ist,  1849, 
remaining  also  about  three  years,  and  receiving  to  the  church  sixty- 
six  members.  In  December,  1852,  he  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  G.  P. 
Ramsey,  also  now  deceased,  under  whose  charge  sixty-seven  were 
added  to  the  church.  In  1855  Mr.  Ramsey  resigned,  and  Rev.  A. 

D.  Williams  was  installed  as  Pastor.     Up  to  this  time  the  church  had 
occupied  a  small  chapel  on  Haverhill  street,  corner  of   White.     It 
was  now  decided  to  remove  to  another  site  and  build  larger.     Ac- 
cordingly the  lot  was  exchanged  for  the  present  one,  and  the  present 
church  edifice  erected  and  dedicated  in  the  spring  of  1857.     Rev. 

E.  M.  Tappan  was  pastor  from '  September  1857  to  his  death  in  De- 


78  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

cember,  1860.  During  his  pastorate  over  one  hundred  members 
were  added.  Rev.  E.  G.  Chaddock  was  pastor  for  four  years  from 
June,  1866,  and  Rev.  J.  A.  Lovell  a  year  and  a  half  from  from  Octo- 
ber, 1870.  The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  A.  L.  Houghton.  The  church 
membership  is  445,  of  which  244  have  been  added  during  Mr. 
Houghton's  pastorate. 

UNITARIANS. 

The  Unitarian  church  was  organized  in  1847.  The  first  pastor 
was  Rev.  Henry  F.  Harrington,  now  superintendent  of  schools  in  New 
Bedford.  Mr.  Harrington  was  an  active  member  of  the  school  com- 
mittee here  and  did  much  to  give  the  schools  of  Lawrence  the  excel- 
lent character  they  have  uniformly  maintained.  Mr.  Harrington  was 
followed  by  Rev.  J.  L.  Junkins,  and  he  by  Rev.  J.  H.  Wiggin  who, 
however,  only  remained  one  year.  Rev.  James  B.  Moore  served 
several  years  and  was  succeeded  Rev.  C.  A.  Hayden,  who  in  turn 
was  followed  by  the  present  pastor,  Rev.  E.  R.  Sanborn.  The  church 
was  organized  under  the  statutes,  and  this  year,  under  the  present 
pastor,  it  has  been  reorganized  in  some  particulars.  There  are  now 
departments  of  public  worship  and  instruction,  Sunday  School  and 
social  and  literary  culture,  fellowship  and  benevolent  work.  The 
number  of  families  now  included  in  the  parish  is  132. 

METHODISTS. 

The  Haverhill  street  Methodist  Episcopal  church  began  in  1846, 
in  the  private  house  of  Charles  Barnes,  situated  on  the  southwest 
corner  of  Broadway  and  Tremont  street.  A  small  number  of  persons 
gathered  every  Sabbath  for  almost  a  year  under  the  pastoral  care  of 
Rev.  James  L.  Gleason.  Before  the  year  closed  they  rented  Concert 
Hall,  Broadway.  In  the  spring  of  1847,  Rev.  L.  D.  Barrows  was 
sent  to  be  their  pastor,  and  during  his  ministry  of  two  years  the 


MICHAEL   P.    MERRILL, 

Assessor ;  office  at  City  Hall.  Residence,  231  Broadway.  Has-been  in 
Lawrence  twenty-one  years.  Born  at  Warren,  N.  H.,  Dec.  31,  1817. 
Received  a  common  school  education,  and  worked  at  farming  until 
1855.  Married  Augusta  M.  Hoytt,  May  30,  1841  ;  has  three  children. 
Attends  the  Universalist  church.  Was  selectman  in  1851-2.  Mod- 
erator of  town  meeting  in  1849,  1850,  1851,  1854,  1855,  1856  and 
1857.  Superintendent  of  Schools  in  1844,  1845,  ^46  and  1852. 
Commissioned  captain,  1837  ;  major,  1839  ;  lieutenant-colonel,  1841  ; 
colonel,  1844;  brigadier-general,  1845  ;  discharged,  1846.  Commis- 
sioned brigade  drill  master  in  1848.  Assessor  in  1863-4,  and  from 
1870  to  the  present.  Gen.  Merrill  was  a  member  of  the  common 
council  for  1860,  and  was  elected  president  for  that  year. 


HISTORY   OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  79 

present  edifice  on  the  comer  of  Hampshire  and  Haverhill  streets 
was  built.  It  was  dedicated  on  the  26th  of  March  1848,  by  the  pas- 
tor Rev.  L.  D.  Barrows,  D.  D.  The  following  is  a  list  of  the  pastors 
of  the  church  :  Rev.  James  L.  Gleason,  1846  ;  L.  D.  Barrows,  1847- 
48;  James  Pike,  D.  D,,  1849;  Moses  Howe,  1850;  Samuel  Kelley, 
1851-52;  R.  S.  Rust,  D.  I).,  1853-54;  Jonathan  Hall,  1850-56; 
W.  A.  McDonald,  1857;  F.  A.  Hughes,  1858;  J.  H.  McCarty,  D. 
D.,  1859-60;  S.  Holman,  1861-62;  R.  S.  Stubbs,  1863;  George 
Dearborn,  1864  ;  L.  J.  Hall,  1865-66  ;  D.  C.  Knowles,  1867-68-69  ; 
F.  Pitcher,  1870-71  ;  L.  D.  Barrows,  D.  D.,  1872-73-74;  D.  Steven- 
son, D.  D.,  1875-76-77;  D.  C.  Knowles,  1878.  The  first  board  of 
trustees  consisted  of  the  following  persons  :  John  N.  Marble,  Alvah 
Bennett,  Rufus  C.  Barber,  Jonathan  Russell,  Alexander  Fife,  James 
K.  Barker  and  J.  W.  Mathes. 

The  Garden  street  Methodist  society  held  its  first  meeting  April 
24th,  1853.  Rev.  George  P.  Wilson  was  the  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday  School  and  Rev.  Mr.  Hanson  the  pastor.  The  church  was 
organized  the  same  year.  The  records  of  the  society  are  deficient, 
and  we  are  unable  to  present  a  complete  record.  Some  of  the 
pastors  have  been  Rev.  Messrs.  Holman,  H.  H.  Hartwell,  C.  M. 
Dinsmore,  Trueman  Carter,  C.  U.  Dunning,  E.  P.  Cushman,  E.  W. 
Norris,  W.  E.  Bennett,  and  the  present  pastor,  A.  E.  Drew.  The 
church  numbers  478  members,  with  52  probationers. 

The  Trinity  Methodist  church  on  Haverhill  street,  was  organized 
January  i5th,  1873.  Up  about  this  time  the  members  forming  this 
society  had  been  a  part  of  the  Free  Congregational  society,  worship- 
ping first  on  Common  street  and  then  on  Essex  street,  that  society 
having  grown  out  of  a  union  mission  Sunday  School.  Later  in  1872 
the  society  divided,  one  part  going  to  form  the  Tower  Hill  Union 
Evangelical  church.  The  remaining  twenty-five  members  were  or- 
ganized by  Rev.  L.  D.  Barrows  into  a  Methodist  church.  They  were 
for  some  time  under  the  pastoral  care  of  Mr.  Barrows,  he  being  then 


80  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

the  pastor  of  the  Haverhill  Street  Methodist  Church.  March  2ist, 
they  completed  their  organization  by  the  appointment  of  trustees  and 
stewards.  The  present  edifice  on  Haverhill  street,  west  of  Broad- 
way was  built  about  four  years  ago.  The  present  pastor,  Rev.  D.  C. 
Smith,  has  been  with  the  church  about  one  year. 

Parker  Street  M.  E.  church,  South  Side,  was  organized  in  1873. 
In  the  year  1869  Rev.  D.  C.  Knowles,  of  the  Haverhill  street  church 
conceived  the  idea  of  forming  a  class  which  at  some  future  time 
should  form  the  nucleus  of  a  church.  Five  persons  formed  the  class 
which  met  weekly  in  the  Tiger  Engine  House,  on  Broadway.  The 
class  had  a  sickly  existence  for  some  time,  but  at  length  rallied  and 
the  members  resolved  to  erect  a  small  structure  and  organize  a 
church.  A  society  was  duly  organized  September  i6th,  1870.  A  lot 
of  land  was  purchased  on  Blanchard  street,  and  the  building  erected. 
At  this  time  the  society  had  only  eight  members.  From  week  to 
week  the  congregation  gathered  in  this  chapel  and  were  for  two  years 
under  the  spiritual  leadership  of  Rev.  Mr.  Tilton,  of  Deny,  Rev.  Mr. 
Keys  of  Woburn,  Rev.  A.  D.  Sargent  of  Maiden,  and  another  year 
by  Rev.  W.  J.  Parkinson  of  Boston.  In  1873  the  present  church 
edifice  was  built  at  a  cost  of  $15,000,  since  which  the  church  has 
been  supplied  by  the  conference.  Rev.  Garrett  Beekman,  2  years, 
C.  L.  McCurdy  i  year,  A.  J.  Hall  i  year,  and  T.  J.  Abbott  i  year, 
dying  after  a  short  illness  near  the  close  of  the  year.  The  present 
pastor  is  Rev.  VV.  A.  Braman.  The  church  numbers  100  members, 
with  21  on  probation.  Sunday  School  132  scholars,  18  teachers. 

UNIVERSALISTS. 

On  the  25th  of  October,  1848,  Geo.  Littlefield,  Sullivan  Symonds, 
Wm.  D.  Joplin,  Heaton  Bailey  and  others  issued  a  manifesto  ad- 
dressed to  George  A.  YValdo,  Justice  of  the  Peace,  to  organize  a 
church  of  the  Universalist  faith.  The  meeting  convened  and  the 


ALBERT  V.    BUGBEE, 

City  Treasurer.  Office  at  City  Hall ;  residence,  25  Orchard  JStreet. 
Born  at  Chelsea,  Vt.  in  1834.  Obtained  a  limited  education,  being 
obliged  to  earn  his  own  livelihood  after  he  was  eleven  years  of  age. 
Became  a  citizen  of  Lawrence  in  1852,  and  was  fifteen  years  in  the 
auction  and  commission  business.  Following  that  he  was  for  eight 
years  in  the  insurance,  auction  and  real  estate  business.  Elected  city 
treasurer  in  1875,  fr°m  which  time  to  the  present  he  has  continued 
to  fill  the  office.  Mr.  Bugbee  attends  the  Universalist  church.  Mar- 
ried Emily  S.  Johnson  of  Lowell  in  1851,  and  has  two  children. 


HISTORY   OF   LAWRENCE,    MASS.  8 1 

church  was  organized  on  November  i5th  of  the  same  year.  Fairfield 
White,  Heaton  Bailey,  Frederick  Tyler,  Daniel  O.  Emerson  and 
Ethel  O.  Nutters'  were  elected  standing  committee.  The  present 
church  edifice  was  dedicated  June  30th,  1853.  The  first  pastor  was 
Rev.  Geo.  H.  Clark,  from  1847  to  1851  ;  Rev.  Henry  Jewell,  1851- 
52  ;  Rev.  J.  R.  Johnson,  1852  to  1855  ;  Rev,  J.  J.  Brayton,  1555  to 
1858;  Rev.  M.  J.  Steere,  1858  to  1860;  Rev.  G.  S.  Weaver,  1861 
to  1873;  R-ev-  Geo.  W.  Perry,  1873  to  1877;  and  succeeded  by 
Rev.  A.  E.  White,  the  present  pastor. 

PRESBYTERIANS. 

In  the  month  of  April,  1854,  a  few  Presbyterians  feeling  that  their 
wants  were  not  fully  met  in  the  Congregational  churches,  got  together 
at  a  private  residence  and  held  a  prayer-meeting,  William  Adams 
being  chosen  to  visit  the  people  and  ascertain  how  many  were  de- 
sirous of  forming  a  church.  June  3Oth,  following,  Rev.  A.  McWilliams, 
a  licentiate  from  the  Presbytery  of  Boston,  came  here  and  organized 
a  church  with  47  members.  For  two  years  services  were  held  in  the 
Union  School  house  on  Jackson  street.  In  1856  the  church  was 
built  on  Oak  street,  and  preaching  continued  a  little  more  than  a 
year  when  Mr.  McWilliams  left,  the  hard  times  of  1857  and  the  stop- 
page of  the  Bay  State  Mills  tending  to  greatly  weaken  the  congrega- 
tion. In  1859  Rev.  James  Dinsmore  was  installed  and  remained 
until  1862.  Meetings  were  then  suspended  and  the  building  went 
into  the  hands  of  the  Presbytery,  it  subsequently  being  let  to  the  city 
for  a  school  house.  In  1867  the  worshippers  of  this  faith  having 
largely  increased,  the  church  was  re-dedicated  and  Rev.  John  Hogg 
called  to  the  pastorate,  who  remained  eight  years.  Early  during  his 
labors  the  new  church  on  Concord  street  was  built.  The  pastor  dur- 
ing the  year  1877  was  RCV-  John  A.  Burns,  who  resigned  on  account 
of  ill  health,  and  at  present  the  church  is  without  a  settled  pastor, 
though  a  call  has  been  extended  to  Rev.  Mr.  McAegal,  of  Ohio. 


82  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL    HISTORY    OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS. 

For  several  years  the  Adventists  have  sustained  a  regular  church 
but  have  had  a  settled  pastor  but  a  small  share  of  the  time.  They  at 
first  had  a  chapel  on  Common  street,  but  subsequently  removed  to 
Bradford  street  where  religious  services  are  now  held. 


CATHOLICS. 


The  early  comers  to  Lawrence  included  a  large  Catholic  element, 
and  consequently  the  clergy  of  that  order  were  active  in  looking  after 
their  interests.  In  December,  1848,  Rev.  James  O'Donnell  erected 
old  St.  Mary's  church.  He  established  the  parochial  schools  and 


REV.  JAMES  O'DONNELL. 

brought  the  Sisters  here.  He  began  his  sen-ices  on  the  corner  of 
Newbury  and  Common  streets.  He  labored  zealously  and  effectual- 
ly, and  died  April  i7th,  1861.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Ambrose 


ST.    MARY'S   NEW   CHURCH. 


84  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

A.  Mullen,  who  remained  from  June,  1861,  till  August,  1866,  when 
he  left  to  take  the  presidency  of  Villanova  College.  He  was  fol- 
lowed by  Rev.  L.  M.  Edge,  who  erected  the  new  Catholic  church, 
but  died  before  it  was  completed.  Then  came  Rev.  Thomas  Gal- 
berry,  now  bishop  of  the  diocese  of  Hartford,  Conn.  Rev.  John  P. 
Gilmore  succeeded  Father  Galberry,  July  2d,  1872.  Father  Gilmore 
was  born  in  Philadelphia,  October  5th,  1844.  The  Church  of  the 
Immaculate  Conception  was  begun  by  Father  French,  who  came 
here  from  Ireland.  He  rebuilt  the  old  wooden  church  of  the  same 
name.  He  was  followed  by  Father  Taaffe,  who  erected  the  present 
buildings  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  the  Orphan  Asylum,  and 
organized  the  Catholic  Friends'  Society.  He  died  March  2gih,  1868, 
and  was  followed  by  Father  Michael  Dougherty,  temporarily,  who 
stayed  till  the  appointment  of  Rev.  William  Orr  in  1 860.  Father  Orr 
was  succeeded  by  Rev.  J.  P.  Gilmore  in  the  care  of  the  church,  with 
Rev.  D.  D.  Regan  as  rector.  In  July,  1873,  the  St.  Laurence  church 
was  opened.  Father  Gilmore  erected  the  parochial  residence  on 
Haverhill  street,  and  opened  it  October  5th,  1873.  It  cost  $30,000, 
and  Father  Gilmore  may  well  congratulate  himself  that  this  hand- 
some structure  is  paid  for.  The  Catholic  clergy  of  Lawrence,  north 
of  the  river,  of  which  Father  Gilmore  is  the  head,  are  Revs.  M.  M. 
O'Farrell,  J.  H.  Devers,  J.  A.  Marsden,  and  P.  C.  McGovern, 
all  members  of  the  order  of  St.  Augustine.  There  are  13,000 
Catholic  communicants  in  Lawrence,  and  an  average  attendance 
in  the  parochial  schools  of  1000  pupils,  400  boys  and  600  girls. 
Rev.  Father  Devers  has  lately  come  to  Lawrence  and  has  been 
assigned  to  the  Immaculate  Conception  church.  St.  Patrick's 
church  in  South  Lawrence,  was  begun  in  1869,  by  Father  Orr,  and 
was  dedicated  on  the  following  St.  Patrick's  Day  by  Very  Rev.  Father 
Lyndon,  the  lately  deceased  Vicar-General  of  the  diocese.  Father 
Orr  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  James  Murphy,  the  present  pastor.  He 
is  assisted  by  Rev.  James  Sheedy. 


JAMES    ERVING   SHEPARU, 

City  Clerk ;  office  at  City  Hall.  Residence,  26  Summer  Street.  Has 
been  in  Lawrence  ten  years.  Was  born  in  Union,  Me.,  Jan.  9,  1835  ; 
received  a  common  school  education.  Married  Abbie  Bennett  Cooper, 
April  4,  1864;  has  no  children.  Attends  the  Second  Baptist  church, 
and  is  a  democrat  in  politics.  Mr.  Shepard  worked  on  a  farm  and  at 
the  cooper's  trade  in  his  earlier  days,  and  also  learned  the  Daguerrian's 
art.  In  1 86 1  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Co.  D.,  Qth  Maine  Volunteers. 
Receiving  the  intermediate  promotions  he  was  on  July  6th,  1863  made 
Regimental  Adjutant ;  served  on  staff  duty  till  the  close  of  the  war. 
Came  to  Lawrence  in  1868.  Was  city  marshal  in  1870.  Employed 
as  a  newspaper  writer  for  three  years.  Clerk  of  the  Water  Board  for 
1874,  1875  and  l876-  ^ity  Clerk  for  1877,  and  re-elected  in  1878. 


HISTORY    OF   LAWRENCE,    MASS.  85 

The  French  Catholics  of  Lawrence  worship  in  their  brick  church 
on  Haverhill  street,  Rev.  O.  Boucher,  pastor.  The  first  movement 
among  the  French  Catholics  here  was  in  December,  1871,  when 
bishop  (now  archbishop)  Williams,  asked  Father  Gearin  of  Lowell, 
to  come  here  and  see  what  could  be  done.  Father  Gearin  was 
superior  of  his  order.  He  was  assisted  by  Father  Beaudin.  They 
began  worship  in  Essex  Hall.  In  March,  1872,  Father  Beaudin  left 
and  Father  Lecompte  took  charge  till  October  ist,  1872,  when  Father 
Michaud  followed  him.  Father  Gearin  had  bought  the  chapel  on 
Lowell  street  early  in  March,  1872.  In  Father  Michaud's  time  the 
society  attempted  to  build  their  present  church  edifice,  but  became 
considerably  involved,  and  he  left  in  Septembr,  1874.  There  was  no 
regular  pastor  till  March,  1875,  when  the  present  pastor  came.  The 
church  has  about  1300  communicants. 

At  present  there  are  28  churches  in  the  city.  The  two  not  enum- 
erated above  are  the  Swedenborgian  and  German  Protestant,  both 
without  a  house  of  worship  and  with  but  few  adherents. 


vrn. 

THE  CORPORATIONS. 


To  compile  a  history  of  Lawrence  without  a  detailed  description 
of  the  corporations  would  be  like  the  play  of  Hamlet  with  Hamlet 
left  out.  These  are  the  backbone  of  the  city.  They  give  directly 
employment  to  about  one  third  of  the  population  and  are  the  life 
blood  of  a  goodly  majority  of  the  remaining  two  thirds,  as  nearly 
all  the  wealth  and  the  ready  cash  in  circulation  comes  through  the 
monthly  pay  of  the  operatives  of  these  manufactories.  When  pay- 
day arrives,  each  month  on  the  large  corporations  'tis  then  the  grocer, 
the  butcher,  the  baker, — in  fact  every  retail  dealer  of  merchandise 
expects  to  count  in  the  dollars  for  goods  delivered  in  the  interim 
since  last  pay-day. 

The  inception,  growth  and  development  of  the  corporations  lining 
the  banks  of  the  river  is  almost  marvelous — outrivalling  even  the 
"  magic  growth "  of  western  cities.  It  is  now  thirty-two  years  since 
the  north  canal  was  completed  and  work  commenced  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  Bay  State,  now  Washington  Mills  and  the  Atlantic 
Mills.  From  that  beginning  has  sprung  up  one  of  the  busiest  cities 
in  the  world,  and  a  population  of  40,000  find  home  and  comforts 
from  the  manufacturing  industries.  The  corporations  as  a  rule  have 
been  very  successful.  The  financial  depression  of  1857  caused  a 
suspension  in  nearly  all  the  mills  for  a  short  time  ;  then  occurred  the 
failure  of  the  Washington  Mills  and  their  reorganization.  In  1860 

86 


BYRON    TRUELL, 

Dry  Goods  and  Carpet  House,  249  Essex  St.  Residence,  355  Hav- 
erhill  St.  Came  to  this  city  in  February,  1854,  and  became  merchant's 
clerk  in  the  store  of  A.  W.  Stearns.  In  1858,  he  entered  business 
under  the  firm  name  of  Bailey  &  Truell.  This  partnership  was  dissolved 
in  1863,  and  he  has  since  continued  business  under  the  name  of  Byron 
Truell  &  Co.,  at  the  present  stand.  Born  at  St.  Johnsbury,  Vt.,  Nov., 
1834.  Married  in  1859,  and  has  two  children.  Attends  the  Haver- 
hill  Street  M.  E.  Church.  Mr.  Truell  was  State  senator  in  1877  and 
1878,  and  was  in  the  House  in  1875  and  1876.  Was  in  the  common 
council  in  1875.  Is  at  present  justice  of  the  peace  and  a  director  of 
the  Pacific  National  Bank. 


QUARTER-CENTENNIAL   HISTORY    OF   LAWRENCE,    MASS.  87 

occurred  the  terrible  Pemberton  Mills  calamity,  when  the  mill  fell, 
burying  700  operatives  in  the  ruins.  When  the  War  of  the  Rebellion 
broke  out  in  1861  the  great  Pacific  had  fairly  regained  its  feet,  and 
the  mills  generally  were  ready  for  the  extensive  business  that  came  to 
their  doors. 

The  managers  took  an  opposite  course  from  that  taken  by  the 
Lowell  manufacturers,  for  whatever  may  have  been  their  opinion  as 
to  the  duration  and  extent  of  the  war,  they  believed  it  policy  to  work 
up  all  the  cotton  they  had,  and  procure  as  much  as  they  could  in  the 
early  days  of  the  strife,  and  they  eagerly  sought  the  raw  article  placed 
on  the  market  by  the  Lowell  managers.  Subsequent  events  proved 
their  course  to  have  been  wise.  During  the  business  depression  of 
the  past  few  years  the  Lawrence  mills  and  operatives  have  probably 
suffered  less  than  those  of  any  other  large  city.  To-day  the  mills 
are  running  to  nearly  their  full  capacity,  and,  with  the  exception  of  a 
few  months'  stoppage  of  the  Atlantic  Mills,  during  their  reorganiza- 
tion, the  same  is  true  of  all  these  months  of  hard  times.  True,  the 
wages  of  the  operatives  have  been  reduced,  and  in  some  cases  to  a 
large  extent ;  but  work  has  been  provided  the  people,  and  while  those 
of  other  manufacturing  centres  have  suffered  for  food  and  clothing, 
here  they  have  been  deprived  of  but  few  comforts.  Unlike  the  mills 
of  Fall  River,  the  management  of  all  the  Lawrence  mills  is  centred  in 
Boston,  and  the  leading  officials  are  unknown  to  the  people.  The 
only  irregularity  of  any  magnitude  ever  occurring  in  the  Lawrence 
mills  was  the  recent  defalcation  of  George  R.  Waterman,  head  clerk 
of  the  local  management  of  the  Pacific  Mills,  who,  in  a  systematic 
manner  for  55  months,  stole  an  amount  averaging  $2000  per  month, 
aggregating  $110,000.  For  this  skillfully  planned  theft  he  is  now 
serving  a  twelve  years'  sentence  in  the  State  Prison  at  Concord. 
Since  their  incorporation  there  have  been  serious  reverses,  and 
reorganizations  of  the  Pacific,  Atlantic,  Washington  and  Pemberton 
Mills. 


88  QUARTER-CENTEXNIAL 

The  present  aggregated  statistics  of  the  seven  leading  manufac- 
tories are  as  follows  : 

Capital  stock $7,350,000 

Number  of  spindles 338,100 

Number  of  looms 9>°57 

Males   employed 4,200 

Females  employed 6,000 

Yards  produced  per  week 2,301,654 

The  average  wages  earned  by  men  and  boys  are  $1.30  per  day; 
by  women  and  girls,  90  cents  per  day. 

To  show  the  comparative  value  of  the  manufacturing  corporations 
and  the  share  of  the  burden  they  carry  in  the  way  of  aid  towards 
municipal  development,  the  amount  of  taxes  levied  by  the  city  asses- 
sors for  the  current  year  is  here  given.  The  rate  of  taxation  is  $15 
per  thousand  dollars'  valuation. 

Atlantic  Cotton  Mills $19,855  oo 

Arlington  Mills 5>25°  °° 

Archibald  Wheel  Co 480  oo 

Essex  Company 10,875  °° 

Everett  Mills 10,200  oo 

Lawrence  Duck  Co 3,375  oo 

Lawrence  Flyer  and  Spindle  Co 624  oo 

Lawrence  Gas  Co 6)625  oo 

Lawrence  Lumber  Co 615  oo 

Lawrence  Woolen  Co 2, 1 75  oo 

Pemberton  Co 8,700  oo 

Pacific  Mills 5  7, 750  oo 

Russell  Paper  Co 2,400  oo 

Washington  Mills 20,055  oo 

Wright  Manufacturing  Co 705  oo 


LEVI    EMERY, 

Farmer,  owning  a  farm  of  sixty  acres  overlooking  the  city  from  the 
west.  Born  in  Salem,  N.  H.,  August,  1818;  worked  on  a  farm  in 
early  life  ;  afterwards  spent  six  years  at  shoe  manufacturing  in  Maiden. 
Was  for  several  years  in  the  West,  near  Chicago,  acting  during  the  time 
as  agent  for  the  Tremont  Land  Co.,  and  instituting  many  improve- 
ments in  drainage  and  agriculture  in  that  section.  Came  to  Lawrence 
in  1864  and  purchased  the  estate  upon  which  he  now  resides.  Mr. 
Emery  is  married  and  has  one  child.  Attends  the  Eliot  Congrega- 
tional church.  Was  in  the  common  council  in  1867,  1868,  1872, 
1875  and  1876,  and  a  member  of  the  legislatures  of  1877-8. 


HISTORY   OF    LAWRENCE,  MASS.  89 

WASHINGTON   MILLS. 

The  Washington  Mills  were  the  first  built  in  the  town  of  "  Merri- 
matck,"  as  Lawrence  was  then  known.  The  mills  were  built  in  1846, 
and  put  in  operation  the  following  year,  under  the  name  of  the  Bay 
State  Mills.  There  are  three  large  brick  buildings,  each  like  the  other, 
comprising,  with  the  roof  or  attic,  nine  stories.  The  departments  of 
manufacture  are  woolen,  worsted  and  cotton  goods.  In  the  financial 
crash  of  1857,  the  mills  were  shut  down,  and,  in  1859,  started  under 
a  reorganization,  the  corporate  name  being  Washington  Mills.  The 
famous  Bay  State  shawls,  and  blue  flannel  coatings,  were  originated 
by  these  mills,  the  former  in  1848,  the  latter  in  1859  ;  opera  flannels 
were  also  first  introduced  in  this  country  by  these  mills.  The  works 
are  the  most  extensive  in  the  manufacture  of  a  general  range  of 
woolen  goods  of  any  in  this  or  any  other  country.  In  1868  was  com- 
menced the  manufacture  of  worsted  coatings,  through  the  influence 
of  the  managing  director,  Hon.  E.  R.  Mudge,  who  was  United  States 
Commissioner  at  the  Paris  Exposition  in  1867,  and  there  became 
convinced  of  the  feasibility  of  such  manufacture  in  this  country. 
From  the  beginning  the  corporation  has  conducted  operations  on  an 
extended  scale,  and  at  the  present  time  its  various  fabrics  not  only 
stand  without  equal  in  this  country,  but  fully  equal  similar  produc- 
tions in  Europe.  Throughout  the  recent  financial  stress  the  greater 
portion  of  the  machinery  has  been  kept  running,  though  the  depres- 
sion in  the  wool  market  has  had  a  serious  effect  upon  the  profits. 
The  first  president  was  Mr.  E.  A.  Bourne,  who  retired  in  1862,  when 
Joseph  S.  Fay  succeeded  him,  remaining  but  two  years ;  John  A. 
Blanchard  followed,  and  in  1866,  George  M.  Minot  assumed  the  posi- 
tion, remaining  till  1872,  when  the  present  incumbent,  P.  T.  Homer, 
accepted  the  office.  Joseph  S.  Fay  was  treasurer,  resigning  in  1862, 
followed  by  Joshua  Stetson,  who  retired  in  1868,  on  account  of  ill 
health.  The  position  remained  vacant  for  a  year,  when  the  present 


90  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

treasurer,  Henry  F.  Coe,  was  elected.  The  board  of  directors  com- 
prises P.  T.  Homer,  E.  R.  Mudge,  Henry  Saltonstall,  C.  U.  Cotting, 
C.  W.  Freeland,  Robert  Couch  and  J.  A.  Blanchard,  Jr.  The  statis- 
tics show  that  th-re  are  one  cotton,  one  worsted,  and  five  woolen 
mills,  with  19,000  cotton  spindles,  65  sets  cards,  320  broad  looms; 
worsted  department,  8640  spindles,  885  looms ;  the  weekly  product 
is  100,000  yards  cottons,  120,000  yards  dress  goods,  20,000  yards 
worsteds,  40,000  yards  woolens  and  1000  shawls  ;  pounds  cotton  con- 
sumed, 728,000  ;  clean  woolen  and  worsted  stock,  30,000  ;  tons  coal 
per  year,  10,000  ;  gallons  oil  per  year,  24,000  ;  pounds  starch,  23,500  ; 
motive  power,  7  water  wheels  of  1025  horse  power,  and  two  engines 
of  1,000  horse  power.  The  capital  stock  of  the  mill  is  $1,650,000. 
Females  employed,  1268;  males,  1135. 

Peter  T.  Homer,  President ;  Henry  F.  Coe,  Treasurer ;  E.  R. 
Mudge,  Henry  Saltonstall,  Robert  Couch,  John  Saltonstall  among 
the  directors.  Robert  Scott,  Agent ;  A.  P.  Clark,  Paymaster  ;  G.  M. 
Stoddard,  Superintendent  Worsted  Department ;  James  B.  Siner,  Me- 
chanical Superintendent;  Frank  Atkins,  Superintendent  of  Cotton 
and  Woolen  Department. 

Assets. 

Real   estate,   land   and   water   power,   buildings,   ma- 
chinery,  $1,373,634  83 

Cash  and  debts  receivable 35X>332  22 

Manufactures,  material  and  stock  in  process 1,680,605  19 


Total $3,405,572  24 

Liabilities. 

Capital  stock $1,650,000  oo 

Debts,  including  dividend  declared  payable  Jan.  i . . . .    1,454,538  75 

Reserves 138,935  60 

Balance  profit  and  loss 162,097  89 

Total $3,405,072  24 


GRANVILLE    M.   STODDARD, 

Superintendent  of  the  Washington  Mills.  Residence,  28  Washington 
Corporation.  Born  at  Dover,  Me.,  in  1839,  and  removed  with  his 
father's  family  to  this  city  in  1847.  Entered  upon  the  realities  of  life 
by  learning  the  apothecary's  business  with  Dr.  Smith,  formerly  on 
Merchants'  Row.  He  also  worked  at  the  same  business  for  some 
years  in  Boston.  Mr.  Stoddard  has  been  in  the  employ  of  the  Wash- 
ington Mills  Corporation  for  the  past  twenty  years ;  two  years  in  the 
office,  then  in  the  embossing  room,  and  afterwards  in  the  worsted 
department.  He  has  been  superintendent  the  past  six  years.  Mar- 
ried Laura  J.  Stockman  in  1868;  has  two  children.  Attends  the 
Unitarian  Church. 


HISTORY   OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  9! 

ATLANTIC     MILLS. 

The  Atlantic  Mills  were  the  second  in  operation  in  Lawrence,  the 
building  of  which  began  in  1846,  but  a  few  months  after  the  Bay 
State  Mills.  The  original  capital  was  $  1,800,000,  and  the  present 
capital  is  $1,000,000.  Originally  it  was  intended  to  erect  four  large 
mills,  each  with  a  capacity  of  12,500  spindles  and  1466  looms,  and 
to  occupy  all  the  space  between  the  Pacific  and  Bay  State  Mills  :  the 
plan  was  modified,  and  but  two  mills  wer*  erected,  running  25,000 
spindles  and  733  looms.  Mills  commenced  operation  in  1849.  ^n 
1852  a  large  centre  mill  was  built,  connecting  the  two  wings,  mak- 
ing a  mammoth  structure.  These  mills  have  had  failures  and  suc- 
cesses, and  in  1876  approached  a  crisis,  which  resulted  in  a  general 
reorganization,  and  of  so  recent  a  date  as  to  be  familiar  to  the  reader  of 
to-day.  In  brief,  the  treasurer,  William  Gray  of  Boston,  a  very  extensive 
owner,  and,  also,  the  selling  agent  of  the  mills,  refused  to  longer 
indorse  the  corporation  paper.  During  that  year  the  stock  went 
down  to  $18  per  share.  In  July  it  was  decided  to  reorganize,  and 
the  capital  of  $1,000,000  was  scaled  down  to  $300.000,  and  new 
created  sufficient  to  make  a  capital  of  $1,000,000.  An  old  stock- 
holder was  privileged  to  exchange  five  of  the  old  shares  for  one  of 
the  new,  and  to  take  a  proportional  part  of  the  new  stock. 

The  mills  remained  idle  from  June  to  September,  during  which 
time  there  was  much  grumbling  by  the  stockholders,  many  of  whom 
failed  to  relish  the  fact  that  Mr.  Gray,  as  treasurer  and  selling  agent, 
was  drawing  a  princely  salary  and  handsome  profits.  A  strong  effort 
was  made  to  remove  the  local  agent,  Mr.  J.  P.  Battles,  but  without 
success.  Mr.  Gray  resigned  in  July,  and  the  mills  renewed  work  in 
September,  1876,  under  the  treasurership  of  Henry  Saltonstall,  who 
was  also  treasurer  of  the  Chicopee  Manufacturing  company.  Wm. 
Gray  &  Son  retired  from  the  selling  agency,  and  the  goods  now  pass 
through  the  house  of  E.  R.  Mudge,  Sawyer  &  Co.  At  the  annual 


g2  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

meeting  in  1877  William  Gray,  Jr.,  was  elected  treasurer.  Since  the 
reorganization  the  mills  have  prospered  fairly,  and  the  stock  has 
attained  a  handsome  figure  above  par.  The  new  Boston  and  Lowell 
railroad  has  cut  through  the  mill  yard  and  the  corporation  boarding 
houses,  but  it -is  believed  by  many  that  the  entrance  of  this  road  will 
prove  advantageous  rather  than  detrimental  to  its  interests.  The 
products  of  the  mills  are  white  goods  exclusively — shirtings  and 
sheetings,  which  are  of  very  excellent  quality.  There  are  three  mills, 
87,888  spindles,  1804  looms,  1040  employes  ;  17,000  bales  of  cotton 
are  used,  and  23,200,000  yards  of  cloth  made  annually ;  oil,  6000 
gallons ;  coal,  3000  tons ;  motive  power,  one  steam  engine  of  500 
horse  power,  and  four  turbine  water  wheels. 

Charles  H.  Dalton,  President ;  Wm.  Gray,  Jr.,  Treasurer  ;  Charles 
H.  Dalton,  William  Gray,  Jr.,  and  Henry  Saltonstall  among  the 
Directors.  J.  P.  Battles,  agent ;  J.  C.  Bovvker,  paymaster. 

Assets. 
Real  estate,  land  and  water  power,  buildings,  machinery,    $950,992  41 

Cash  and  debts  receivable 150,349  41 

Manufactures,  material  and  stock  in  process 372,924  09 

Miscellaneous 21,722  06 

Total • $1,495.987  97 

Liabilities. . 

Capital  stock $994,844  45 

Debts 489,383  82 

Balance  profit  and  loss 7,872  80 

Reserve  unpaid  bills 3,886  90 

Total $i,495,987  97 

PACIFIC   MILLS. 

The  Pacific  Mills  are  the  most  extensive  works  of  the  kind  in  the 
world.  Within  the  yards  used  for  manufacturing  purposes  are  twelve 


ALBERT  R.  FIELD, 

Superintendent  of  Pacific  Mills  ;  residence,  4  Concord  St.  Has  been 
in  Lawrence  since  1871.  Born  in  Cranston,  R.  I.,  in  the  year  1821. 
Received  a  common  school  education.  Commenced  work  in  the  mill 
at  an  early  age.  In  1849  he  commenced  running  a  small  mill  in  Scit- 
uate,  R.  I.,  under  the  firm  name  of  Ralph  &  Field.  In  1860  received 
the  appointment  of  agent  of  the  Anthony  Mills,  Coventry,  R.  I.  In 
1864  removed  to  Harrisville,  and  took  charge  of  the  Harris  Manuf'g 
Co.,  purchasing  a  half  interest  in  the  mills.  In  1867  was  temporarily 
employed  starting  up  the  Duval  Mills,  Fall  River.  Moved  the  same 
year  to  Central  Falls,  R.  L,  taking  the  agency  of  N.  W.  Sprague's  new 
mill  for  the  manufacture  of  fine  lawn  goods.  Resigned  to  accept 
present  position  in  1871.  Married  Abby  C.  Johnson  in  1860;  has 
two  children.  Was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen  in  1877, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  present  Water  Board. 


HISTORY   OF   LAWRENCE,    MASS.  93 

mills  and  buildings,  affording  41  acres  of  flooring.     There  are  5360 
people  are  employed,  and  it  may  be  said  that  more  than  one  third  of 
the  population  of  Lawrence  are  directly  dependent  upon  these  mills 
for  their  daily  bread.     The  Pacific  was  incorporated  in  1852,  with  a 
capital  of  $2,000,000,  and,  considering  the  gloomy  aspect  at  its  start, 
with  a  probable  failure  staring  its  stockholders  in  the  face  during  the 
first  few  years,  its  career  of  success  has  been  wonderful.     The  par 
value  of  the  stock  is  $1000,  and  within  20  years  its  market  value  has 
gone  from  as  low  as  $75  up  to  over  $2000  a  share,  and,  under  the 
present  depressed  times  is  selling  in  the  vicinity  of  $1850.     The 
construction  of  the  works  cost  more  than  the  $2,000,000  of  original 
capital ;  but  the  corporation  was  saved  from  a  failure  by  the  munifi- 
cence of  its  president,  the  Hon.  Abbott  Lawrence,  who,  from  his 
private  fortune,   contributed  several  hundred  thousands  of  dollars, 
which  tided  the  corporation  over  the  emergency.    Until  "  hard  times  " 
came,  in  1857,  some  money  was  made,  but  the  enterprise  was  largely 
sustained  by  borrowing ;  in  that  year  the  Pacific  was  forced  to  ask 
an  extension  of  credit,  which  was  granted  by  every  creditor.     Dur- 
ing that  year  the  stock  sank  as  low  as  $75  ;  and  here  it  may  be  said 
that  several  Lawrence  gentlemen  of  present  wealth  may  date  the  be- 
ginning of  their  road  to  fortune  from  the  time  when  they  had  means 
and  courage  to  buy  a  few  shares  of  Pacific  stock.     In  1858,  the 
stockholders  were  called  upon  to  increase  the  capital  to  $2,500,000. 
Matters  proceeded  fairly  until  1859,  when  the  corporation  lost  money, 
but,  since  that  time,  an  unprecedented  success  has  attended  the  run- 
ning of  these  vast  mills,  its  stock  has  doubled  its  par  value  in  the 
market,  and  very  handsome  dividends  are  declared.     In  1860  the 
annual  product  was  11,000,000  yards  of  dress  goods;  in  1870  the 
product  reached  45,000,000  yards,  and  since  then  the  product,  with 
the  cloths  purchased  of  other  mills  and  printed  here,  has  reached 
65,000,000 — sufficient  to  put  a  bandage  three-quarters  of  a  yard  wide 
once  and  a  half  around  the  world.     For  many  years  the  local  agent 


94  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

was  Mr.  Chapin,  assisted  by  A.  M.  Wade,  as  superintendent ;  but 
several  years  ago  a  change  was  effected,  and  Mr.  John  Fallon,  for- 
merly in  charge  of  the  printing  department,  was  made  acting  agent, 
and  Mr.  A.  R.  Field,  assistant.  Apparently  the  mills  were  never  in  a 
more  thriving  condition.  The  grand  success  of  the  corporation  is, 
without  doubt,  to  be  attributed  to  the  admirable  management  of  Hon. 
J.  Wiley  Edmands,  lately  deceased,  allied  with  the  mercantile  saga- 
city of  Mr.  James  L.  Little,  as  the  selling  agent,  and  whose  creative 
taste  has  been  imparted  to  all  the  fabrics  of  these  mills.  The  com- 
pany has  a  world-wide  reputation  for  its  attention  to  the  moral,  social 
and  sanitary  condition  of  its  employes,  which  is  shown  from  its  sup- 
port of  a  vast  library  and  reading  room,  its  benefits  to  the  sick  and 
injured,  its  cleanliness  in  its  boarding  houses,  and  in  aiding  employes 
to  build  for  themselves  comfortable  homes. 

It  is  within  bounds  to  state  that  more  than  forty  per  cent,  of  the 
heads  of  families  own  their  homes,  the  company  in  many  instances 
having  assisted  their  operatives  by  loaning  them  money  at  6  per 
cent,  wherewith  to  build  houses.  To  encourage  economy  among  the 
laborers  a  savings  bank  was  established  years  ago  whereby  the  females 
and  minors  can,  if  they  choose,  deposit  a  part  of  their  earnings 
each  month,  which  is  put  at  interest  at  time  of  deposit.  For  pru- 
dential reasons  the  operations  of  this  method  of  receiving  deposits 
has  been  considerably  curtailed  of  late,  but  to  some  extent  it  is  still 
in  force. 

The  Pacific  Mills  Relief  Society  is  an  institution  of  itself  worthy  of 
a  place  in  history.  The  society  as  its  name  indicates,  was  formed  for 
the  purpose  of  extending  aid  to  the  sick  and  to  those  who  meet  with 
accident  while  there  employed.  The  funds  of  the  society  are  created 
as  follows  :  The  corporation  pays  $2.50  weekly,  and  each  person  in 
the  employ  of  the  corporation  if  they  receive  more  than  three  dollars 
per^week  for  wages,  two  cents  per  week.  If  less  than  three  dollars 
wages,  one  cent  per  week. 


JOSIAH   CLINTON   WHITE, 

Master  Mechanic  at  the  Pacific  Print  Works.  Resides  at  31  Pacific 
Corporation.  Has  been  in  Lawrence  thirty-one  years.  Was  born  in 
Erattleboro,  Vt,,  July  9,  1828.  Learned  the  carpenter's  trade  of  his 
father  in  Brattleboro.  Went  to  Nashua,  N.  H.  in  April,  1846,  and 
worked  at  his  trade  until  September  of  that  year,  when  he  came  to  the 
new  city,  "  Andover  Bridge."  which  has  since  been  his  home.  Was 
married  Jan.  i,  1855  to  Edna  A.  Underwood  of  Swanzey,  N.  H. ;  has 
two  daughters.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Eliot  Congregational  church. 
Captain  White  enlisted  in  Co.  G,  3Oth  Mass.  Reg't,  Oct.  1861.  Was 
wounded  while  on  provost  duty  at  New  Orleans,  La.,  May  18,  1862. 
May  1 8,  1863,  commissioned  captain  by  the  President,  of  the  United 
States.  Was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Hovey  Hill,  Nov.  3oth,  1864. 
Received  an  honorable  discharge  from  the  army  May  29th,  1866. 
Was  a  member  of  the  common  council  for  1877  ;  re-elected  for  1878. 


HISTORY   OF   LAWRENCE,    MASS.  95 

The  officers  of  this  society  are  a  President,  Treasurer,  and  Secre- 
tary, with  twenty-five  managers,  chosen  annually  the  first  week  in 
April,  from  the  members.  These,  together,  compose  a  Board  of 
Government ;  decide  points  of  dispute,  and  manage  the  internal 
affairs  of  the  Society.  The  weekly  allowance  to  sick  members  is  as 
follows  : 

To  those  who  contribute  two  cents  a  week $2.00 

To  those  who  contribute  one  cent  a  week 1.25 

The  allowance  to  sick  members  may  continue  ten  weeks ;  it  shall 
then  be  reduced  one-fourth,  and  may  be  extended  twenty  weeks 
longer,  should  sickness  continue.  At  the  end  of  thirty  weeks  the 
allowance  shall  cease  entirely,  and  shall  not  be  renewed  within  twelve 
months. 

For  the  past  year  the  amount  paid  into  this  fund  is  over  $8000, 
over  five  thousand  of  which  has  been  spent  in  the  manner  above 
indicated.  One  thousand  francs  were  awarded  to  the  Pacific  Mills  at 
the  Paris  Exposition,  for  the  admirable  manner  in  which  this  relief 
system  was  conducted. 

The  corporation  boarding  houses  are  a  model  of  neatness  and 
order.  The  bill  of  fare  from  every  standpoint  is  better  than  the 
average  well-to-do  families ;  the  price  charged  is  only  $2.25  a  week 
for  females  and  a  dollar  more  for  males.  Vital  statistics  show  that 
the  rate  per  cent,  of  sickness  and  mortality  in  the  Pacific  Mills  is  less 
than  any  other  community  of  like  number  in  the  known  world. 

One  glances  at  the  mill  statistics  with  wonderment.  Number  of 
cotton  spindles,  135,000;  worsted  spindles,  25,000;  looms,  4,500 ; 
pounds  of  cotton  used  per  week,  116,000;  pounds  of  wool,  65,000; 
yards  of  cloth  printed  or  dyed  each  week,  over  1,260,000;  tons  of 
coal  per  year,  23,000  ;  steam  boilers  of  3ooo-horse  power,  50 ;  steam 
engines  of  i2OO-horse  power,  37;  turbine  water  wheels,  2Ooo-horse 
power,  ii  ;  gas  burners  number  5000,  and  the  cost  of  gas  for  the  six 
months  used  is  $30,000  ;  monthly  pay-roll,  $150,000,  the  women  and 


96  QUAKTER-CEN-TEXNIAL 

girls  averaging  daily  98  cents,  and  men  and  boys,  $1.40  ;  women  and 
girls  employed,  3,534  ;  men  and  boys  1,766  ;  total  number  employes, 
5,300;  number  of  houses  for  work  people,  275.  The  annual  cost 
of  raw  material  for  dyeing  is  over  $400,000.  The  wool  consumed 
each  week  requires  the  fleeces  of  10,000  sheep.  The  products  of 
the  mills  are  lawns,  percales,  and  a  general  variety  of  dress  goods. 

The  local  officers  are  :  John  Fallon,  agent ;  A.  R.  Field,  superin- 
tendent ;  John  R.  Rollins,  paymaster ;  Samuel  Barlow,  superintendent 
of  print  works ;  Joseph  Walworth,  superintendent  of  worsted  depart- 
ment. Abbott  Lawrence,  president ;  James  L.  Little,  treasurer ;  J. 
Huntington  Wolcott,  Augustus  Lowell,  Benjamin  E.  Bates,  John  M. 
Little,  Arthur  T.  Lyman,  directors. 

Assets. 

Real  estate,  water  power  and  machinery $1,450,000  oo 

Other  assets 1,191,754  12 

Manufactures,    material,  etc 3,337,612  08 

Miscellaneous 20,000  oo 


Total $5,999,366  20 

Liabilities. 
Capital  stock $2,500,000  oo 

Debts 2,078,533  94 

Reserves 1,420,812  26 


Total 55,999,366  20 

PEMBERTON    MILLS. 

The  Pemberton  Mills  were  incorporated  in  1852  by  an  organiza- 
tion of  which  J.  A.  Lowell  was  the  principal  owner  and  the  moving 
spirit.  J.  Pickering  Plummer  was  the  President,  and  John  E.  Chase 
local  agent.  In  1854  the  corporation  failed,  and  was  sold  at  auction 
to  David  Kevins,  of  Methuen,  and  George  Howe,  of  Boston,  for 


MICHAEL  RINN, 

Bookseller  and  Stationer,  143  Essex  St. ;  residence,  40  Oak  St.  Has 
been  in  Lawrence  twenty-eight  years.  Born  in  Ireland  in  1847,  he 
came  to  Lawrence  when  three  years  of  age  and  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  the  city.  Commenced  work  in  the  mill  at  an  early 
age  and  was  severely  injured  at  the  fall  of  the  Pemberton  Mill,  Janu- 
ary loth,  1860.  Subsequently  he  worked  in  the  Washington  Mills 
packing  room  for  seven  years,  after  which  he  went  to  learn  wool-sorting, 
which  he  left  to  enter  his  present  business.  Mr.  Rinn  is  not  married ; 
is  a  Roman  Catholic,  attending  St.  Laurence  church,  and  in  politics 
is  a  democrat.  Was  elected  to  the  common  council  from  Ward  II  in 
1877  ;  represented  the  Twentieth  District  in  the  legislature  in  1878. 


HISTORY    OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  97 

$300,000,  or  about  one  half  its  actual  value.  The  Legislature  of 
1 85 7-58  granted  an  act  of  incorporation,  and  the  "  Pemberton  Man- 
ufacturing Company"  began  operations  at  once  with  Mr.  Howe  as 
treasurer  and  Mr.  Chase  as  agent.  January  loth,  1860,  occurred  the 
terrible  catastrophe  of  the  falling  and  burning  of  the  mill,  accompa- 
nied with  a  fearful  loss  of  life.  The  ruins  were  sold  at  auction  and 
bought  by  Mr.  Nevins,  who  at  once  reorganized  the  "Pemberton 
Company,"  taking  himself  more  than  half  of  the  capital  stock  of 
$450,000,  the  other  large  owners  being  George  Blackburn  and  Eben 
Sutton.  The  new  mill  was  built  on  the  site  of  the  old  one,  and 
started  in  1861  with  Henry  S.  Shaw  as  treasurer,  and  Mr.  Chase  as 
agent.  In  June  of  the  same  year  Mr.  Chase  resigned,  and  Fred  E. 
Clarke  was  appointed  agent.  The  officers  and  management  of  the  mill, 
since  it  was  rebuilt  and  reorganized,  have  not  changed.  Since  Mr. 
Nevins'  first  purchase,  in  1857,  he  has  been  the  managing  director. 
He  also  owns  a  cotton  mill  in  Methuen,  of  which  Mr.  Clarke  is  also 
agent.  The  Pemberton  is  admirably  managed.  Its  product  is  mainly 
confined  to  cottonades,  cotton  flannels,  ticking  cottons,  fancy  cassi- 
meres,  repellents,  wool  sackings  and  carriage  linings.  The  statistics 
of  the  corporation  are  as  follows:  capital  stock,  $450,000;  number 
of  mills  two ;  cotton  spindles,  28,060  ;  sets  woolen  machinery,  14  ; 
looms,  669  ;  females  employed,  650  ;  males  employed,  225  ;  yards 
made  per  week,  120,000 ;  pounds  cotton  consumed  per  week,  40,000 ; 
pounds  clean  wool  consumed  per  week,  6000 ;  tons  of  coal  per  an- 
num, 2200;  gallons  of  oil,  5600;  pounds  starch,  25,000;  water 
wheels,  3  ;  each  200  horse-power ;  steam  double  engines,  300  horse- 
power. 

David  Nevins,  President ;  H.  S.  Shaw,  Treasurer ;  David  Nevins, 
Jr.,  among  the  Directors. 

Assets. 

Real  estate,  land  and  water  power,  buildings  and  ma- 
chinery     $462,081  45 


gS  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

Other  assets 177,76430 

Manufactures,  material  and  stock  in  process 521,205  69 

Total $1,161,051  44 

Liabilities. 

Capital  stock $450,000  oo 

Debts 229>793  45 

Balance  profit  and  loss  reserve  for  depreciation, 481,254  99 

Total $1,161,051  44 

LAWRENCE  DUCK  COMPANY. 

The  Lawrence  Duck  Company  was  incorporated  in  1853,  the 
original  stockholders  being  three  Boston  men,  Albert  Fearing,  who 
was  president,  now  dead,  Isaac  Thatcher,  who  has  been  treasurer 
from  its  organization  to  the  present  time,  and  David  Whiton,  who 
was  clerk  until  four  years  ago.  Mr.  Fearing's  stock  was  distributed 
to  his  heirs  and  a  large  portion  .to  literary  institutions.  The  capital 
of  the  corporation  is  $300,000,  and  the  product  comprises  cotton 
duck  for  sails  and  tents,  mining  duck,  used  for  water  courses  in  the 
mines,  cotton  dryer  felting  for  paper  mills,  and  sail  twine.  Five  years 
ago  the  mill  was  enlarged  to  double  its  capacity,  but  the  dullness  of 
shipping  has  kept  the  product  of  the  mill  within  its  old  limits,  and 
now  but  150  hands  are  employed.  The  corporation  has  a  large 
trade  in  mining  duck  with  California  and  Australia,  and  prides  itself 
upon  the  quality  of  its  sail  cloth,  which  was  selected  in  preference  to 
others  for  Astor's  yacht.  The  burden  of  management  has  from  the 
beginning  been  upon  the  treasurer,  Mr.  Thatcher,  and  the  local  agent, 
Mr.  Isaac  Hayden,  both  of  whom  have  held  their  positions  for  25 
years.  Nearly  all  the  machinery  used  was  designed  and  built  under 
the  direction  of  Mr.  Hayden.  Aaron  Robert,  Jr.,  of  Boston,  is  the 
president,  and  Francis  G.  Davis  of  Boston,  selling  agent. 

Aaron  Hobart,  Jr.,  President ;  Isaac  Thatcher,  Treasurer. 


LURANDUS  BEACH,  JR. 

Was  born  in  Dover,  N..H.,  Nov.  4,  1832.  At  the  early  age  of  sixteen, 
Mar.  28, 1848,  he  entered  into  partnership  with  his  father  in  Lawrence, 
Mass.,  in  the  manufacture  of  Soaps.  For  some  two  years  after  enter- 
ing business  he  continued  at  school,  at  the  same  time  conducting  the 
business,  his  father  meanwhile  remaining  in  Dover.  The  partnership 
was  continued  for  28  years,  until  1876,  when  L.  Beach  retired, 
since  he  has  conducted  the  business  alone  in  Lawrence  and  Haver- 
hill,  Mass.,  under  the  name  of  Beach  Soap  Co.,  Lawrence  and  L. 
Beach,  Jr.,  Haverhill.  About  1860  he  purchased  the  soap  factory  at 
Dover,  N.  H.,  which  has  been  conducted  under  the  firm  name  of  L. 
Beach,  Jr.,  &  Co.  The  soap  made  under  his  supervision  has  gained 
a  world-wide  reputation  for  excellence.  Was  elected  the  Lawrence 
Common  Council  for  1863,  and  alderman  for  the  year  1876,  Married 
Miss  Persis  A.  Miller,  of  Middletown,  Conn.,  1855,  has  one  child,  and 
is  a  member  of  the  Haverhill  Street  M.  E.  Church. 


HISTORY   OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  99 

Assets. 

Real  estate $136,474  46 

Land  and  water  power 28,288  08 

Machinery 149,386  87 

Other  assets 747  35 

Cash  and  debts  receivable 90,983  27 

Manufactures  and  material 81,216  82 

Profit  and  loss 27,656  06 


Total ^5I4,749  91 

Liabilities. 

Capital  stock $300,000  oo 

Debts 214,749  91 


Total : $514,749  91 

EVERETT   MILLS. 

The  Everett  Mills  were  incorporated  in  1860,  and  commenced 
operations  the  same  year  in  the  large  stone  machine  shop  formerly 
owned  by  the  Essex  Company,  the  corporation  purchasing  the  build- 
ings and  eighteen  acres  of  land.  The  old  buildings  were  extensively 
altered  and  repaired,  and  new  structures  erected,  and  first-class  ma- 
chinery placed  therein,  suitable  for  the  manufacture  of  a  general 
variety  of  colored  cotton  goods ;  later,  machinery  was  secured  for 
the  manufacture  of  worsted  fabrics.  The  machinery  was  first  put  in 
operation  January  ist,  1861.  The  original  capital  was  $500,000,  but 
six  months  later  it  was  increased  to  $700,000,  and  in  December, 
1862,  another  $100,000  was  added.  Extensive  dye-houses  and  a 
bleachery  are  attached  to  the  mills.  The  products  are  cottonades, 
ticks,  denims,  cheviot  shirtings,  ginghams,  duck,  and  an  extensive 
variety  of  dress  goods  of  very  excellent  quality.  At  the  Centen- 


100  QUARTER-CEXTEXXIAL 

nial  Exhibition  the  mills  were  awarded  a  prize,  and  "commended 
for  excellence  in  subdued  coloring,  smoothness  of  fabrics,  general 
good  taste  in  design  of  cheviot  shirtings.  Cottonades  of  very  good 
quality."  The  statistics  of  the  mills  show  33,280  spindles,  841  looms, 
750  employes,  and  an  annual  production  of  8,000,000  yards  of  goods, 
consuming  2,500,000  pounds  of  cotton.  Three  thousand  tons  of 
coal,  4000  gallons  of  oil  and  45,000  pounds  of  starch  are  used  an- 
nually, and  the  motive  power  is  furnished  by  three  turbine  water 
wheels.  The  principal  incorporators  of  the  mills  were  James  Dana, 
Samuel  Batchelder,  and  Chas.  W.  Cartwright.  The  first  treasurer  was 
Samuel  Batchelder  of  Cambridge,  who  held  the  position  until  1870, 
then  retiring  on  account  of  advanced  age  ;  he  is  now  living  in  Cam- 
bridge, and  is  over  90  years  old.  His  successor  was  H.  Temple,  of 
Boston,  who,  on  account  of  ill  health  and  the  cares  of  his  position  as 
treasurer  of  the  Yprk  Mills,  of  Saco,  remained  but  one  year.  From 
1871  W  June  1878,  D.  D.  Crombie,  who  was  local  agent  under  Batch- 
elder,  was  treasurer.  The  directors  are  all  prominent  business  men, 
who  manifest  a  zealous  interest  in  the  management  of  the  details  of 
the  mills.  The  present  board  comprises  Thomas  Wigglesvvorth,  Jas. 
Longley,  Abijah  E.  Hildreth,  Augustus  Lowell,  Abbott  Lawrence, 
Thomas  Minns,  and  James  Ellison.  At  least  one  member,  James 
Ellison  (and  perhaps  Thomas  Wigglesworth),  has  been  in  the  board 
since  the  mills  were  incorporated.  The  first  agent  was  the  late  treas- 
urer, Mr.  Crombie,  who  retired  in  February  1866,  and  was  succeeded 
by  John  R.  Perry,  who  was  removed  to  make  place  for  D.  M.  Ayer. 
The  vibration  of  Mr.  Crombie  from  agent  to  treasurer,  and  the  con- 
sequent changes  of  agents,  did  not  occur  without  some  unpleasant- 
ness among  some  of  the  management.  The  necessity  for  a  greater 
production  of  goods,  in  a  more  economical  manner,  is  supposed  to 
have  been  the  cause  of  the  next  change  of  agents,  which  occurred 
three  years  ago,  when  Mr.  Charles  McDuffie,  the  present  incumbent 
was  appointed.  The  advancement  of  the  market  value  of  the  stock 


THOMAS  A.  EMMONS, 

Loom  Harness  manufacturer,  7  May  street ;  residence,  119  May  St. 
Came  to  Lawrence  1 1  years  ago.  Born  at  Kennebunkport,  Me.,  in 
1827.  Learned  his  trade  at  Biddeford,  Me.,  28  years  ago  and  has 
worked  at  it  ever  since.  Commenced  business  about  25  years  ago  at 
Holyoke,  where  he  remained  till  1861.  Married  Elizabeth  Benson 
at  Holyoke  in  1853.  Has  three  sons.  Attends  Second  Baptist 
Church.  He  erected  his  mill  nine  years  ago  on  May  street.  It  was 
partially  destroyed  by  fire  two  years  ago,  and  immediately  re-built 
with  an  additional  story. 


HISTORY    OF   LAWRENCE,    MASS.  IOI 

is  certainly  an  outside  evidence  that  the  desired  result  was  attained. 
The  par  value  of  the  stock  is  $100,  and  the  highest  quotation  ever 
reached,  was  $180,  in  1864;  the  lowest  $70,  in  1875;  since  the 
present  agent's  management  the  stock  has  gone  up  to  $88  1-2.  Mr. 
McDuffie  has  kept  the  property  in  prime  condition  and  made  many 
repairs  and  alterations.  A  fire  occurred  last  winter  which  destroyed 
a  large  portion  of  the  dye  works,  but  in  a  few  weeks  the  damage  was 
repaired.  With  business  as  good  as  it  has  been  during  the  past  two 
years,  there  is  no  reason  why  the  stock  should  not  soon  touch  par 
value  and  semi-annual  dividends  of  3  per  cent,  be  declared.  The 
products  of  the  Everett  Mills  find  a  market  in  the  United  States  and 
Dominion  of  Canada.  The  mills  are  now  running  closer  to  the 
market  consumption  than  at  any  time  during  the  past  year.  George 
C.  Richardson  &  Co.,  are  selling  agents  in  Boston  and  New  York. 

James  Longley,  President ;  Eugene  H.  Samson,  Treasurer ;  Au- 
gustus Lowell,  Abbott  Lawrence,  Thomas  Minns,  A.  E.  Hildreth,  and 
James  Ellison,  Directors  ;  Charles  D.  McDuffie,  Agent ;  William  A. 
Barrell,  Paymaster. 

Assets. 

Land,  water  power,  buildings $367,000  oo 

Machinery 3 73,000  oo 

Cash  and  debts  receivable 346,763  85 

Manufactures,  material  and  stock  in  process 324,769  25 


Total $1,41 1,533  10 

LiubiUties. 

Capital  stock $800,000  oo 

Debts 5  70,000  oo 

Reserves 4I>533  IO 

Total $1,41 1,533  10 


1O2  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

LAWRENCE    WOOLEN    COMPANY. 

The  Lawrence  Woolen  Company  was  incorporated  in  war  times, 
1864,  and  its  projector  and  principal  founder  was  Capt.  O.  H.  Perry, 
who  is  also  the  head  of  the  house  of  Perry,  Wendell  &  Fay,  Boston, 
the  selling  agents  of  the  mills.  George  P.  Upham  of  Boston,  is 
treasurer,  and  Captain  Perry  is  the  local  agent,  residing  in  Andover, 
and  frequently  visiting  the  mill.  The  corporation  has,  in  a  financial 
view,  been  straight  from  its  incorporation,  though,  like  other  manu- 
factories, especially  of  woolen  goods,  it  has  suffered  considerably 
from  the  business  depression,  but  is  at  present  "holding  its  own." 
The  corporation  has  a  capital  stock  of  $150,000,  runs  one  mill  of 
3280  spindles  and  47  looms,  employs  125  hands,  and  manufactures 
240,000  yards  of  woolens  per  annum,  from  156,000  pounds  clean 
wool.  The  power  is  furnished  by  one  four-foot  water  wheel.  The 
products  are  all  kinds  of  fancy  woolen  goods  for  men's  and  women's 
wear,  especially  for  cloakings.  A  specialty  is  also  made  of  fine  woolen 
shawls,  which  are  manufactured  in  great  variety. 

ARLINGTON    MILLS. 

The  Arlington  Mills  are  the  youngest  of  our  larger  manufacturing 
establishments,  and  during  their  thirteen  years'  existence  have  won  a 
brilliant  reputation.  The  act  of  incorporation  was  secured  in  1865 
by  Messrs.  Robert  M.  Bailey,  Charles  A.  Lombard,  Joseph  Nickerson 
and  George  C.  Bosson,  who  comprised  the  stockholders,  and  the 
mills  were  started  with  a  capital  of  $200,000.  The  original  name 
was  "Arlington  Woolen  Mills,"  and  the  early  products  were  only  fancy 
shirting  flannels  and  wool  felted  fabrics.  In  1866  the  buildings  were 
totally  destroyed  by  fire,  but  rebuilt  the  following  year,  when  the 
capital  was  increased  to  $240,000.  The  tariff  of  1866,  which  had 
given  a  stimulus  to  the  worsted  industry,  encouraged  the  manage- 
ment to  embark  in  the  manufacture  of  women's  worsted  and  cotton 


JOHN    K.  NORWOOD, 

Insurance,  Real  Estate,  Loans,  &c.  Office  6  Lawrence  St. :  residence 
62  Eutaw  Street.  Has  been  in  Lawrence  21  years.  Born  at  East- 
port,  Me.,  August,  1837.  Common  School  education.  Worked  in 
dry  goods  store  in  early  life.  Has  been  in  insurance  business  12 
years.  In  the  war  for  the  Union  he  served  in  the  gth  Massachusetts 
Battery  three  years.  Received  bullet  wound  in  the  right  lung  at 
Gettysburg.  Mr.  Norwood  represents  in  his  insurance  business,  the 
Phoenix,  N.  Y. ;  Fire  Association,  Pa. ;  Merchants  and  American, 
Newark ;  Girard,  Pa. ;  Phoenix  Life,  Hartford  ;  and  Citizens  and 
Merrimac,  Dwelling  House  Mutuals  with  combined  assets  of  $20, 785,- 
787.63.  Losses  have  been  paid  to  the  following  parties  :  J.  Stowell,  D. 
Saunders,  D.  Spurr,  L.  Ladd,  Briggs  &  Allyn,  A.  Ordway,  A.  J.  French, 
J,  Killalee,  Steel  &  McDonald,  H.  Plummer,  J.  Gaffney,  G.  W.  Hills,  Es- 
sex Co.,  M.  S.  Dodge, T.  Wilkinson  and  others  to  the  amount  of  $65,000. 


HISTORY   OF    LAWRENCE,  MASS.  103 

dress  goods,  for  which  a  large  quantity  of  new  and  modern  machinery 
was  secured.  Many  difficulties  were  encountered  in  establishing  the 
new  enterprise,  and  less  determined  men  would  have  become  dis- 
heartened and  abandoned  the  venture.  In  1869  the  company  be- 
came financially  embarassed,  but  the  stockholders  paid  into  the 
treasury  the  whole  amount  of  the  capital,  $240,000 ;  a  change  in 
management  was  also  made,  by  the  election  of  Joseph  Nickerson  for 
president,  and  William  Whitman  for  treasurer  and  general  agent. 

The  local  managers  are  Samuel  Smith,  superintendent,  Chas.  Wain- 
wright,  cashier.  In  1871  began  the  work  of  remodelling  and  in- 
creasing the  productive  capacity  of  the  works,  and  since  then  there 
have  been  large  additions  of  machinery  and  buildings.  In  1875  tne 
Legislature  changed  the  name  to  "Arlington  Mills,"  dropping  the 
word  "Woolen ;"  in  .1876  the  capital  was  increased  to  $320,000,  and 
in  1877  again  increased  to  $500,000.  To  the  treasurer,  Wm.  Whit- 
man, and  the  local  superintendent,  Samuel  Smith,  the  corporation  is 
largely  indebted  for  its  success,  which  is  now  at  its  high  tide.  The 
capacity  of  the  mills  for  the  manufacture  of  worsted  and  dress  goods 
is  being  largely  increased  the  present  year  by  the  erection  of  a  dye 
house,  giving  three  times  the  capacity  for  coloring,  the  mills 'have 
had  heretofore.  To  do  this  required  the  re-location  of  the  canal,  but 
by  the  aid  of  the  big  Corliss  engine  the  mills  have  been  kept  contin- 
ually running. 

One  feature  has  been  adopted  at  these  mills  that  is  of  great  advan- 
tage to  the  operatives,  and  that  is  the  weekly  payment  of  the  help. 
Every  employe  of  the  corporation  receives  his  or  her  pay  every 
Saturday  night, — a  plan  that  might  with  advantage  be  adopted  by 
every  corporation  in  the  city. 

The  products  of  the  mills  are,  especially,  black  alpacas,  mohairs 
and  brilliantines,  a  class  of  goods  these  mills  were  the  first  in  this 
country  to  successfully  manufacture,  and  which  it  was  believed  could 
not  be  successfully  made  elsewhere  than  in  Bradford,  England  ;  but  the 


IO4  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

Arlington  has  fully  demonstrated  that  they  can  be  made  in  the  United 
States  quite  equal  if  not  superior  in  every  respect  to  the  fabrics  made 
in  Europe.  The  award  for  these  goods  at  the  Centennial  Exhibition 
was  accompanied  by  a  very  flattering  commendation.  The  corpora- 
tion has  two  mills,  6336  spindles,  508  looms,  employs  350  females 
and  232  males;  5200  pounds  of  cotton  yarn,  and  13,000  pounds  of 
clean  wool  are  used  weekly,  and  each  week  100,000  yards  of  goods 
are  manufactured  and  dyed;  2200  tons  of  coal  and  3800  gallons  of 
oil  are  used  per  annum ;  the  motive  power  is  supplied  by  three 
Swaine  water  wheels  of  200  horse  power,  and  one  Corliss  engine  of 
300  horse  power.  The  help  employed  is  of  a  superior  class,  and  the 
utmost  harmony  exists  between  the  management  and  employes.  The 
selling  agents  of  the  mill  are  Lawrence  &  Co.,  Boston,  and  Thomas 
T.  Lea  &  Co.,  Philadelphia. 

WRIGHT   MANUFACTURING   COMPANY. 

The  Wright  Manufacturing  Company  was  incorporated  in  1873, 
the  incorporators  being  A.  W.  Stearns,  A.  S.  Wright,  and  A.  J.  French. 
For  some  time  the  manufacture  was  largely  confined  to  cotton  and 
alpaca  braids,  but  a  little  more  than  two  years  ago  this  corporation 
introduced  the  manufacture  of  fine  mohair  braids,  and  by  processes 
of  their  own  invention,  they  are  enabled  to  produce  the  finest  and 
nicest  braids  of  the  world,  and  at  prices  that  defy  competition.  The 
enterprise  has  been  one  of  marked  success  from  the  beginning. 
They  make  every  variety  of  pure  mohair  for  trimming  and  binding, 
from  one  to  twelve  fil,  and  widths  from  two  to  twenty-four  lines. 
About  one-half  the  production  of  the  mill  is  at  present  mohair  goods. 

The  capital  of  the  company  is  $60,000.  There  are  125  hands 
employed,  and  an  annual  production  of  goods  amounting  to  about 
S35°>000-  The  officers  at  present  are  A.  J.  French,  President ;  A. 
W.  Stearns,  Treasurer  and  selling  agent.  Directors  :  A.  W.  Stearns, 
A.  S.  Wright,  C.  W.  Stevens ;  Clerk,  Wm.  L.  Wardman. 


CHARLES   RUSSELL   MASON, 

Of  the  firm  of  Chas  R.  Mason  &  Co.,  Hardware  Dealers,  327  Essex 
Street,  his  brother  Eugene  J.  Mason  being  the  other  member  of  the 
firm,  which  has  been  a  successful  one  for  many  years.  Mr.  Mason 
came  to  this  city  twenty-three  years  ago,  and  established  the  business 
in  which  he  is  still  engaged.  He  resides  at  265  Haverhill  Street,  and 
has  a  family.  Born  at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  March  22,  1832. 


HISTORY   OF   LAWRENCE,    MASS.  105 

These  nine  embrace  all  the  concerns  doing  business  as  corpora- 
tions in  the  manufacture  of  cotton  and  woolen  fabrics  within  the  city 
limits.  All  of  them  derive  their  chief  power  from  the  waters  of  the 
Merrimack,  with  the  exception  of  two,  the  Everett  Mills  and  the 
Arlington  Mills,  these  being  upon  the  Spicket  river.  Water  supplies 
the  cheapest  motive  power  for  the  manufacture  of  cloths,  but  from 
the  introduction  of  steam  engines  in  all  the  principal  mills,  some  of 
them  of  sufficient  power  to  drive  the  whole  works,  it  is  patent  that 
both  agencies  are  necessary  for  the  greatest  success. 


IX. 
MUNICIPAL    ADMINISTRATION. 


*  This  chapter  is  devoted  to  a  brief  epitome  of  the  political  history 
of  Lawrence,  not  that  anything  startling  or  out  of  the  common 
course  has  occurred,  but  for  the  reason  that  no  fair  estimate  can  be 
made  of  the  growth  and  stability  of  any  municipality  without  some 
knowledge  of  how  its  public  trusts  have  been  administered.  In  com- 
mon with  other  municipalities,  Lawrence  has  sometimes  felt  the  ill 
effects  of  substituting  Policy  for  Principle.  Too  frequently  men 
poorly  calculated  by  nature  or  education  for  public  trusts  have  been 
elected  to  public  stations ;  but  as  a  general  thing  the  government  of 
the  town  and  city  has  been  wisely  administered.  Perhaps  in  no  city 
in  the  Commonwealth  have  political  parties  been  more  evenly  divided 
than  in  Lawrence.  The  soil  has  been  almost  invariably  barren  for 
the  growth  of  any  party  outside  of  the  two  great  national  divisions, 
Republican  and  Democrat.  The  Labor  Reform  party,  as  a  party, 
had  a  brief  existence,  because  one  or  both  of  the  great  divisions 
adopted  its  chief  principles.  The  Prohibitory  party  has  had  an  ex- 
istence since  prohibition  became  an  issue  ;  but  at  best  its  growth  has 
been  slow  and  it  has  failed  to  mark  its  impress,  or  make  its  influence 
felt  to  any  great  degree.  Not  that  its  supporters  were  not  honest  in 
their  belief  or  earnest  in  its  application,  but  because  the  general  sen- 
timents of  the  public  and  the  principles  of  their  professions  were 
not  in  accord.  "  Knownothingism,"  like  the  measles  or  any  other 

*  We  are  indebted  to  City  Clerk  J.  E.  Shepard  for  information  contained  in  this  chapter. 

108 


JOHN   CALVIN    DOW, 

Crockery  and  Plated  Ware,  302  Essex  St. ;  residence,  9  East  Haver- 
hill  St.  Came  to  Lawrence  April  20,  1847.  Born  at  Plaistovv,  N.  H., 
Nov.  9,  1824.  Spent  seventeen  years  upon  the  farm  with  his  father. 
Educated  at  country  school  and  Lowell  high  school.  Worked  on  iron 
in  Lowell.  Established  the  book  and  stationery  business  on  Common 
St.,  Lawrence,  1847,  from  which  he  retired  Nov.,  1870,  entering  the 
crockery  business  in  1872.  Married  Mary  Grafton  Fenno,  Dec.  3rd, 
1850  ;  has  four  sons.  Attends  Grace  Episcopal  Church.  The  estab- 
lishment of  the  Lawrence  Public  Library  is  largely  due  to  the  exer- 
tions of  Mr.  Dow,  and  he  is  at  present  a  member  of  its  board  of  trustees. 


QUARTER-CENTENXIAL   HISTORY   OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  107 

epidemic,  had  its  run  and  for  a  time  carried  everything  before  it,  and 
during  the  war  the  Union  sentiment  and  the  Union  party  held  full 
sway ;  but  since  the,  war  with  occasionally  an  exceptional  year,  the 
contest  for  supremacy  has  been  between  the  two  great  parties,  and 
party  lines  definitely  and  rigorously  drawn  in  Municipal  as  well  as 
General  elections.  Now  and  then  a  "  Citizens  "  movement  has  been 
inaugurated  and  carried  through  successfully  ;  but  a  careful  analysis 
of  the  interests  which  gave  rise  to  the  movement  develops  the  fact 
that  such  movement  generally  originated  in  the  party  least  hopeful  of 
success  at  the  polls,  and  while  the  great  mass  supporting  it  were  hon- 
est and  single  minded,  we  feel  constrained  to  say,  that  a  few  profes- 
sional politicians  found  in  such  occasions  an  excellent  opportunity 
for  the  development  of  their  talents. 

Perhaps  the  only  election  ever  held  in  Lawrence  where  party  poli- 
tics did  not  directly  or  indirectly  exert  an  influence  was  on  the  occa- 
sion of  the  first  town  meeting  which  was  held  Monday,  April  26th, 
1847,  under  a  warrant  issued  by  Dan  Weed,  Esq.,  directed  to  Charles 
S.  Storrow.  The  charter  had  just  gone  into  effect,  the  inhabitants 
were  practically  strangers  to  each  other,  and  under  these  circum- 
stances the  best  men  were  sought,  regardless  of  party  affiliation. 
Henry  Flanders,  a  practising  lawyer  here,  afterwards  an  eminent 
lawyer  in  Philadelphia,  was  elected  moderator  and  E.  W.  Morse, 
town  clerk  ;  Daniel  Saunders  was  elected  treasurer,  and  the  board  of 
selectmen  consisted  of  William  Swan,  Charles  F.  Abbott,  Nathan 
Wells,  James  Stevens,  and  L.  D.  Brown  ;  and  for  school  committee 
men  choice  was  made  of  James  D.  Herrick,  Wm.  D.  Lamb  and  Dan 
Weed. 

At  a  meeting  held  Friday,  April  3Oth,  in  the  same  year,  the  town 
voted  to  raise  four  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  for  town  charges  ; 
twelve  hundred  dollars  for  the  "  repair  and  support  of  highways, 
town  ways  and  bridges,"  and  two  thousand  dollars  for  the  support  of 
schools  for  the  year  ensuing,  apd  Bailey  Bartlett  was  elected  collec- 


IO8  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

tor  of  taxes  at  a  compensation  of  one  per  cent.,  which  subsequently 
was  made  two  per  cent.  The  town  also  voted  the  "  necessary  sum 
or  sums  of  money  "  to  purchase  two  fire  engines,  and  two  thousand 
dollars  for  the  purpose  of  building  two  school  houses.  The  town 
being  in  a  crysalis  state,  other  town  meetings  as  the  needs  of  the 
town  required  were  held  during  the  year  for  the  transaction  of,  to  us, 
apparently  unimportant  business,  but  to  them  fraught  with  great 
responsibilities. 

The  March  meeting  of  1848  for  the  election  of  Town  officers, 
witnessed  the  introduction  of  party  lines  in  municipal  affairs.  Had 
the  welfare  of  the  nation  depended  upon  the  result,  no  greater  emu- 
lation or  resolution  could  have  been  displayed  than  was  manifested. 

William  D.  Joplin  was  elected  Moderator  on  the  first  ballot,  as  was 
William  Morse  to  the  office  of  Town  Clerk.  For  the  other  officers 
several  ballots  were  taken  and  four  attempts  were  made  to  elect 
selectmen  before  the  board  was  filled,  with  the  following  named  per- 
sons :  David  J.  Clark,  Charles  F.  Abbott,  William  D.  Joplin,  Levi 
Sprague  and  John  M.  Smith.  No  better  success  was  had  in  the  bal- 
lotings  for  the  remaining  officers.  Somuch  time  was  spent  in  this 
manner  that  an  adjourned  meeting  was  necessary  for  the  transaction 
of  the  greater  part  of  the  business  called  for  in  the  warrant.  It  hav- 
ing been  voted  to  build  a  Town  House  its  place  of  location  became  a 
mooted  question.  The  suggestion  to  locate  it  on  Jackson  street, 
between  Orchard  and  Garden  streets  was  rejected.  It  was  then  de- 
cided to  locate  the  building  west  of  Appleton  street  and  the  proposi- 
tion to  locate  it  where  it  now  is,  was  voted  down,  and  a  motion  to 
build  on  the  corner  of  Lawrence  and  Common  streets  was  carried  by 
ten  majority,  which  vote  was  subsequently  reconsidered  and  the  pres- 
ent location  decided  upon,  and  under  the  direction  of  a  special  com- 
mittee the  building  was  erected,  Charles  Bean  being  the  agent  of  the 
town.  A  motion  to  build  a  hall  capable  of  seating  three  thousand 
people  was  carried,  but  the  committee  evidently  did  not  closely  fol- 


EBENEZER   B.   CURRIER, 

Real  Estate  Broker,  181  Essex  St.,  Lawrence,  Mass. ;  residence,  144 
East  Haverhill  St.  Born  in  Amesbury,  Mass.,  May,  3,  1813.  Went  to 
Lowell  in  1837,  and  worked  at  clerking  a  few  years,  subsequently  en- 
tering the  retail  boot  and  shoe  business  on  Merrimack  St.,  manufactur- 
ing both  for  the  wholesale  and  retail  trade.  Moved  to  Lawrence  in 
1847,  and  started  the  same  business,  in  which  he  continued  until  1852, 
the  firm  name  being  Footman  &  Currier.  Representative  to  General 
Court  in  1851,  and  it  was  through  his  efforts  that  the  courts  were  re- 
moved to  this  city  from  Ipswich.  Assessor  the  year  the  city  charter 
was  adopted  and  the  year  following.  County  commissioner  for  six 
years,  beginning  with  1855.  Was  inspector  at  State  alms  house  in 
1856-7.  One  of  the  inspectors  at  the  house  of  correction  in  this  city 
in  1865,  and  held  the  office  six  years.  Has  been  justice  of  the  peace 
since  1867. 


HISTORY    OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  109 

low  the  instructions.  Subsequent  town  meetings  were  as  turbulent 
until  the  town  became  a  city,  and,  generally  speaking,  the  Whigs 
were  in  the  ascendancy,  although  now  and  then  a  Democratic  select- 
man or  other  town  officer  was  chosen.  The  selectmen  in  1849  were 
Levi  Sprague,  Charles  F.  Abbott  and  Isaac  Fletcher.  In  1850,  Ar- 
temas  Parker,  Jr.,  William  R.  Page  and  William  Gile.  In  1851-52, 
William  R.  Page,  Levi  Sprague  and  Joseph  Norris. 

Our  beautiful  Common  was  the  subject  of  much  animated  discus- 
sion in  the  town  meetings  held  in  1848.  The  first  recorded  expres- 
sion relating  to  it  appears  in  the  records  of  the  meeting  held  April 
1 7th,  1848,  article  3d  of  the  warrant  being,  "To  see  if  the  town  will 
accept  the  land  set  apart  by  the  Essex  Company  for  a  Common,  and 
act  thereon."  Under  this  article  a  committee  of  five,  consisting  of 
S.  H.  Stevens,  Ivan  Stevens,  A.  Stevens,  Jr.,  M.  D.  Ross  and  A.  D. 
Blanchard,  were  appointed  to  confer  with  the  Essex  Company  as  to 
the  conditions  upon  which  they  will  deed  the  -Common  to  the  town." 
The  committee  reported  the  same  day  that  "The  Essex  Company 
are  not  prepared  to  make  any  definite  proposals  of  terms  of  deed." 
This  report  was  accepted  and  the  committee  discharged. 

A  motion  to  instruct  the  selectmen  "to  accept  a  conveyance  of 
the  land  laid  out  for  a  Common  by  the  Essex  Company,"  with 
such  restrictions  by  the  company  as  were  not  objectionable  'was 
amended  by  directing  the  appointment  of  a  second  committee  of 
conference,  which  consisted  of  D.  Saunders,  Jr.,  J.  D.  Herrick,  S.  H. 
Stevens,  Wm.  A.  Goodwin,  and  G.  W.  Sanborn,  whose  duty  it  was  to 
ascertain  the  terms  upon  which  the  company  would  convey  the  land 
and  the  report  of  the  committee  was  finally  acted  upon  at  a  meeting 
held  September  23d,  the  second  article  in  the  warrant  being  "to  see 
if  the  town  will  accept  the  Common  upon  the  conditions  stated  in 
the  report  of  the  committee  appointed  to  confer  with  the  Essex  Com- 
pany, etc."  The  vote  being  taken  it  was  voted  "not  to  accept  the 
Common  upon  the  conditions  made  by  the  Essex  Company."  At  an 


1 10  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

adjourned  meeting  held  October  yth,  the  voters  had  evidently  re- 
ceived more  light  as  to  the  intentions  of  the  Essex  Company  for  the 
records  of  that  meeting  are,  "Charles  Murch  who  voted  with  the 
majority  moved  a  reconsideration  of  the  vote  passed  September  23d, 
in  relation  to  the  acceptance  of  the  Common,"  and  the  records  con- 
tinue after  a  vote  to  reconsider  had  been  adopted,  "Voted  that  the 
Common  be  accepted  upon  the  conditions  made  by  the  Essex  Com- 
pany." 

We  have  not  space  to  spare  for  more  than  an  outline  of  those  early 
days.     The  town  records  of  those  times  contain  a  mine  of  statistical 
wealth  but  valuable  chiefly  to  the  few  who  survive  those  days  or  the 
statistician.     We  have  briefly  touched  upon  the  salient  points  in 
which  the  acts  then  done  have  directly  affected  to  a  greater  or  less  ex- 
tent the  men  and  matters  of  the  present  day.     They  were  earnest 
men,  energetic  men ;  they  were  and  are  the  only  kind  of  men  that 
can  found  and  build  up  a  city.     They  had  commenced  a  vast  under- 
taking but  they  did  not  neglect  small  things.     They  were  building  for 
the  future,  and  they  "builded  better  than  they  knew."     They  were 
Democratic  in  its  broadest  and  best  sense,  and  believed  in  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  people  by  the  people,  and  they  zealously  guarded 
every  right.     Their  acceptance  of  the  Common  is  an  instance  of  this. 
They  did  not  fail  to  appreciate  the  vast  advantage  of  the  gift  of  the 
Common  by  the  Essex  Company,  but   the    tender  was   hampered 
by  conditions  which  at  first  they  deemed  inimical,  and  they  did  not 
hesitate  for  a  moment  to  decline  its  acceptance,  and  when  the  condi- 
tions were  explained  and  fully  understood,  they  with  practical  unan- 
imity accepted  what  they  had  previously  rejected.     If  one  doubts 
their  manliness  and  independence,  they  have  but  for  a  moment  to 
consider  that  upon  the  Essex  Company  depended  the  material  wel- 
fare of  the  town.     The  land,  the  power,  all  were  vested  in  the  great 
corporation,  but  the  people  neither  truckled  or  bent  the  knee  that 
"thrift  might  follow  fawning,"  but  sturdily  kept  their  manhood  ,and 
their  example  has  been  felt  all  through  the  corporate  life  of  the  city. 


DANIEL    HARDY, 

Residence,  268  Lowell  Street.  Has  resided  in  Lawrence  since  May, 
1846.  Was  born  at  Newburyport,  Dec.  14,  1816.  He  was  employed 
by  the  Eastern  Railroad  in  Newburyport  three  years,  and  at  Boston 
five  years.  He  was  connected  with  the  Boston  &  Maine  Railroad 
at  Lawrence  for  twenty-eight  years.  Married  to  Ann  P.  Simonton  of 
Portland,  Oct.  27,  1844  ;  has  one  child.  Is  connected  with  the  Eliot 
Congregational  church.  Mr.  Hardy  served  as  school  committeeman 
from  1856  to  1870  and  from  1873  to  1876,  making  seventeen  years. 
Was  councilman  in  1853,  filled  a  vacancy  in  1854,  and 'was  a  member 
of  the  aldermanic  board  in  1866. 


HISTORY    OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS. 


Ill 


With  the  acceptance  of  the  City  Charter  came,  new  duties,  new 
responsibilities,  and  the  clear  cut  outlines  of  individualism  faded  away, 
with  here  and  there  an  exception,  and  men  became  merely  the  mass. 

At  the  first  city  election  in  1853,  there  were  about  1000  names 
upon  the  voting  list,  and  from  the  closeness  with  which  the  list  was 
voted,  (as  shown  by  checks)  it  is  inferred  that  nearly  every  one  took 
an  active  interest  in  the  proceedings.  Of  the  voters  upon  the  check 
list  at  that  time  about  two  hundred  remain  in  the  city  to-day.  Follow- 
ing is  the  list  of  those  living  here  at  present,  as  near  as  can  be  ascer- 
tained who  voted  at  that  election  : 


Armington,  Pardon  H., 
Allison,  Samuel,  • 
Andrews,  W.  H., 
Ambrose,  Nathaniel,  • 
Ames,  Samuel,  > 
Ayer,  Perley, 
Ames,  Benjamin,  v 
Armstrong,  H.  S.,  » 
Blood,  Albert, 
Bailey,  Heaton,  * 
Barr,  Thomas,    • 
Bartlett,  Bailey,    . 
Battles,  J.  P., 
Belcher,  Hiram,    » 
Blanchard,  A.  D., 
Baldwin,  Munroe, 
Brewster,  A.  R., 
Briggs,  Alanson, 
Bunker,  A.  S., 
Berry,  S.  H.,     * 
Bodvvell,  Asa  M.,    • 


Barker,  Ebenezer,  ' 
Barnes,  T.  P., 
Beetle,  John,    > 
Blood,  L.  L.,  * 
Brown,  Asa  N.,  • 
Bryant,  Amasa,    • 
Burridge,  J.  Q.  A., 
Burridge,  William,  • 
Butler,  Frederick, 
Buxton,  Alonzo,     * 
Cabot,  George  D., 
Chandler,  H.  P.,  • 
Chadbourne,  Benjamin  F., 
Chapman,  E.  L.,  * 
Clark,  A.  C., 
Clement,  H.  D.,  • 
Conway,  Thomas  H., 
Chase,  Charles,    • 
Clark,  A.  P., 
Colby,  J.  S.  M.,- 
Currier,  E.  B., 


QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 


Cheney,  Bradford,    ' 
Churchill,  Alfred,    / 
Colby,  William  W., 
Currier,  Alonzo  K.,  * 
Churchill,  John, 
Cate,  T.  J., 
Cahill,  James,   ' 
Carter,  Levi, 
Clark,  Albion  G., 
Clifford,  Thomas,  * 
Closson,  C.  C., 
Grouse,  John  F.,  * 
Caufy  Edward, 
Chandler,  Abiel  R.,   ' 
Carter,  Levi  H.,      / 
Carter,  Ebenezer,   f 
Clark,  James, 
Colby,  John, 
Drake,  N.  P.,     r 
Dow,  John  C., 
Drew,  J.  D., 
Durant,  Adolphus,    ' 
Drew,  F.  C., 
Dana,  David,      A 
Damon,  H.  P.,     f 
Doland,  John  J.,    ? 
Dolloff,  E.  B., 
Daly,  Andrew,       ^ 
Davis,  S.  M.,        r 
Donovan,  Timothy,    ' 
Durgin,  H.  J.,        • 
Edwards,  Franklin,    f 


Fogg,  James  A., 
Fairfield,  James  M., 
Fletcher,  Isaac,    * 
Fay,  A.  M., 
Farnham,  J.  W., 
Flanders,  Freeman,   *" 
Fuller,  George  A., 
Farrell,  Henry, 
Fisher,  William,   * 
Gallison,  William  B.,' 
Gardner,  Isaac  B., 
Gale,  John,     ' 
Griffin,  Benjamin, 
Giles,  A.  W.,       A 
Gleason,  Justin,     ' 
Glidden,  J.  D., 
Goodrich,  A.  W., 
Gould,  Samuel, 
Holt,  Nathan, 
Hosmer,  Abner,     f 
Ham,  H.  S., 
Ham,  F.  B., 
Harmon,  Nathan  W.,"" 
Hart,  John, 
Herrick,  E.  B., 
Hills,  George  W.. 
Hoadley,  John  C., 
Hutchinson,  James  S., 
Hatch,  Seth, 
Higgins,  Amos,  ' 
Houghton,  N.  P., 
Hutchinson,  John  L., 


DAVID  DANA, 

Physician ;  office  and  residence,  35  Jackson  St.  Has  been  in  Law- 
rence about  30  years.  Born  at  Dedham,  Mass.,  1825.  Was  kept  at 
school  when  young,  and  graduated  from  Harvard  Medical  College  in 
1847  ;  spent  one  and  one-half  years  in  Boston  public  institutions  as  a 
physician.  Married  Dora  Clark,  in  1851  ;  has  two  children.  At- 
tends Grace  Episcopal  Church.  Has  practiced  medicine  ever  since 
coming  to  Lawrence.  Was  nearly  two  years  in  the  War  of  the 
Rebellion,  as  surgeon  of  the  ist  Mass.  Heavy  Artillery  ;  taken  prisoner 
at  or  near  Centralville,  in  1862,  when  from  continued  exposure  to 
malarial  poison  in  Virginia,  he  was  sent  home  sick  and  obliged  to  re- 
sign. He  has  a  pass  given  while  prisoner  by  Gen.  Lee,  returning  him 
to  his  regiment.  Was  the  first  city  physician  of  Lawrence,  and  also 
the  first  physician  appointed  for  the  Jail  and  house  of  correction. 


HISTORY   OF    LAWRENCE,  MASS. 


Ham,  T.  C., 
Howe,  Merrill  N., 
Hardy,  Daniel, 
Hamilton,  O.  B., 
Hart,  Michael  D., 
Herrick,'J.  D., 
James,  Thomas, 
Jordan,  D.  S., 
Joslyn,  E.  V., 
King,  A.  P.  B., 
Knowles,  Morris, 
Knights,  Samuel  W., 
Kempton,  J.  G., 
Kendall,  Thomas, 
Kimball,  W.  A., 
Knox,  Otis, 
Kelley,  Daniel  H., 
Lamb,  William  D., 
Low,  T.  B., 
Lyford,  W.  S., 
Littlefield,  George, 
Ladd,  Luther, 
Lewis,  Rodney,  A., 
Lindsay,  Thomas  L., 
Leeman,  Wellington, 
Massey,  Joseph, 
Mallard,  Lauren, 
Merriam,  J.  F., 
Merriam,  Thatcher, 
McAllister,  William, 
Miles,  James, 
Morrissey,  John, 


Melvin,  N.  P.  H., 
Moore,  William  H., 
Morrison,  Abiel, 
Murphy,  Patrick, 
McClure,  William  T., 
McCarty,  John, 
Merrill,  Charles  R., 
Minehan,  Edward, 
Moore,  Larkin, 
Morse,  D.  A., 
Noyes,  Henry, 
Noyes,  B.  C., 
Ordvvay,  Aaron, 
Osgood,  Timothy, 
O'Reilley,  Thomas, 
Porter,  David  T., 
Poulson,  Alexander, 
Parsons,  Thomas  A., 
Page,  Edward, 
Pearl,  Oliver, 
Perkins,  J.  S., 
Pillsbury.  C.  K., 
Payson,  Carleton, 
Perkins,  A.  J., 
Phelps,  Augustus, 
Phillips,  H.  H., 
Pillsbury,  Joshua, 
Pingree,  William  E., 
Poor,  Edward  P., 
Pedrick,  William  R., 
Pearsons,  A.  G., 
Perkins,  Moses, 


QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 


Plummer,  H., 
Poor,  Samuel, 
Poor,  George, 
Proctor,  Moses, 
Putnam,  Albert  M., 
Reed,  Rufus, 
Rollins,  John  R., 
Robinson,  D.  R, 
Rossiter,  Ambrose, 
Richardson,  Eli, 
Richardson,  D.  C., 
Robinson,  Oilman  B., 
Rogers,  Thomas  C.., 
Spalding,  Wm.  R., 
Stratton,  Lewis, 
Sullivan,  William, 
Sutcliffe,  Phillip, 
Saunders,  Daniel, 
Scott,  Thomas, 
Smith,  Charles, 
Sweeney,  Patrick, 
Sanborn,  George, 
Sargent,  L.  D., 
Sargent,  Moses., 
Simmons,  S.  P., 
Stannard,  James  H., 
Stearns,  A.  W., 
Stoddard,  Leonard, 
Stoddard,  R.  S., 
Stearns,  Samuel, 
Stowell,  Joseph, 
Smith,  Charles  M., 


Salisbury,  Geo.  W., 
Sargent,  Edwin, 
Shattuck,  Joseph, 
Smith,  John, 
Smith,  William  Bv 
Stevens,  Abiel, 
Stevens,  Warren, 
Stevens,  Ivan, 
Stoddard,  Alphonso, 
Stokes,  Joel, 
Stone,  Thomas, 
Stone,  John, 
Sibley,  Kneeland, 
Tewksbury,  Isaac, 
True,  Ira, 
Tims,  Henry, 
Trull,  Elijah, 
Valpey,  D.  S.  A., 
Varnum,  L.  N., 
Wadleigh,  J.  C., 
Webster,  D.  B., 
Whitney,  H.  M., 
Wright,  W.  H.  P., 
Wiley,  W.  A., 
Wallace,  S.  Y., 
Webster,  Abel, 
Wells,  Nathan, 
White,  N.  G., 
Wilson,  Allen, 
Wood,  James  M., 
Wright,  A.  S., 
Wood,  Emerson, 


SAMUEL   M.   DAVIS, 

Real  Estate  Broker.  Office  at  North  Depot ;  residence,  36  Winter  St. 
Born  at  Parsonsfield,  Me.,  Feb.  24, 1820.  Came  to  Lawrence  in  1847. 
Was  engineer  on  the  Boston  &  Maine  Railroad,  running  the  first  loco- 
motive into  Lawrence  over  the  railroad  bridge,  and  also  ran  the  first 
passenger  train  on  the  Manchester  &  Lawrence  Railroad.  Member 
of  the  common  council  in  1861,  and  of  the  board  of  alderman  in  1867, 
1868,  1869.  •  Is  a  member  of  the  board  of  health  for  the  present  year. 
Has  been  a  justice  of  the  peace  since  1870.  Mr.  Davis  has  always 
taken  an  active  part  in  municipal  matters.  Married  Almedia  C. 
Small  of  Limington,  Me.,  in  1852  ;  has  three  children.  Attends  the 
Baptist  church. 


HISTORY   OF   LAWRENCE,    MASS.  115 

Withington,  Henry,  Weeks,  Benjamin, 

Wade,  A.  M.,  Wingate,  Moses, 

Williams,  Cyrus,  Waterhouse,  Gideon  W., 

Walker,  A.  J.,  Yeaton,  Philip, 

Warren,  Albert,  Yates,  Stephen  D. 

Webster,  T.  K., 

In  the  month  of  March,  1853,  the  legal  voters  were  called  to- 
gether to  vote  on  the  acceptance  of  the  City  Charter.  The  result 
was  yeas,  659  ;  nays,  143. 

The  election  for  Mayor  was  April  iSth,  when  there  were  two  ballots 
taken,  and  a  third  and  final  one  May  7th,  with  the  following  result : 
Charles  S.  Storrow  had  577  ;  Dana  Sargent,  484  ;  scattering,  21. 

At  this  election  there  was  considerable  interest  felt.  While  many 
thought  that  to  Mr.  Storrow,  the  efficient  agent  of  the  Essex  Company, 
who  from  the  commencement  of  the  new  settlement  had  felt  the 
deepest  interest  in  everything  relating  to  the  material  prosperity  of 
the  new  enterprise,  the  compliment  of  the  position  of  first  Mayor 
properly  belonged.  Others  feared  that  there  was  danger  of  corpora- 
tion influence  having  too  complete  predominance,  and  claimed  that 
.the  interests  of  the  corporations  and  those  of  the  city  were  diverse 
and  conflicting,  but  the  result  showed  that  such  fear  was  without 
cause,  for  a  more  acceptable  Chief  Magistrate  the  city  has  never  en- 
joyed. Mr.  Storrow  was  elected  on  the  third  ballot  as  the  candidate 
of  the  Whig  party.  Mr.  Sargent  that  of  the  Democratic. 

*  1854.  The  second  election  was  a  spirited  one,  the  third  and  last 
ballot  resulting  as  follows  :  Enoch  Bartlett  received  65 1  votes,  Geo. 
W.  Benson,  529,  James  D.  Herrick,  67,  scattering,  12.  Mr.  Bartlett, 
candidate  of  the  Democratic  party,  a  young  lawyer  of  considerable 
promise,  was  elected  over  Mr.  Benson,  the  Whig  candidate,  also  a 
promising  lawyer  universally  esteemed,  who  the  previous  year  had 
acted  as  City  Clerk,  and  Mr.  Herrick  was  the  candidate  of  the  Free 

*  The  election  \vas  held  the  December  previous. 


Il6  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

Soil  party,  which  was  then  feebly  working  its  way  up  with  little  pros- 
pect of  ever  assuming  the  power  and  strength  and  majesty  of  the 
great  Republican  party  of  United  States.  Mr.  .Bartlett  unfortunately 
soon  after  his  election  had  the  misfortune  to  experience  loss  of  health, 
and  shortly  after  the  end  of  his  official  term,  went  home  to  New 
Hampshire,  his  native  State,(  to  die. 

During  this  year  commenced  the  great  Know  Nothing  uprising, 
and  the  worry  and  excitement  attendant  upon  the  popular  demon- 
strations, at  times  threatening  the  peace  of  the  community,  taxed  the 
waning  energies  of  our  Mayor  to  an  extent  beyond  their  capacity. 

1855.  This  year  the  Know  Nothings  swept  the  city,  Albert  Warren 
Know  Nothing  candidate  receiving  1037  votes,  E.  F.  Bean,  Demo- 
crat,  81,  N.  W.  Harmon,  Whig,    82,  scattering,  7.     There  was  no 
occasion  for  three  ballots  as  heretofore,  the  election  being  "like  the 
handle  to  a  jug,  all  on  one  side."     The  Whig  and  Democratic  parties 
having  respectively  dwindled  down  to  a  very  few  on  either  side  who 
had  little  fear  of  the  Pope  of  Rome  making  America  his  immediate 
headquarters.     The  sweep  in  Lawrence,  however,  was  no  more  gen- 
eral than  throughout  the  State,  and  Messrs.  Harmon  and  Bean  had 
no  more  cause  to  feel  surprised  or  chagrined  at  their  feeble  follow- 
ing, than  the  Whig  and  Democratic  candidates  for  public  support 
had  elsewhere  throughout  the  Commonwealth. 

1856.  This  year  the  vote  stood,  Albert  Warren,  758  votes  :  John 
R.  Rollins,  386.     The  election  was  a  repetition  of  the  year  before, 
the  Democrats  making  no  nomination,  and  Mr.  Rollins  consequently 
received  the  support  of  all  persons  not  in  affiliation  with  the  dominant 
party,  which  as  yet  showed  no  symptoms  of  dissolution,  although  in 
fact  so  near  its  end. 

1857.  This  year  John  R.  Rollins  received  80 1   votes,  Thomas 
Wright,  570,  scattering,  6.     Politics  were  not  strictly  defined.     The 
Republican  party  had  not  yet  assumed  form  and  proportion.     Both 


JAMES   STUART   BARRIE, 

Grocer,  122  Essex  St. ;  residence,  63  High  St.  Has  been  in  Lawrence 
twenty-nine  years.  Born  in  Stirlingshire,  Scotland,  1837.  Worked  in  the 
factories  in  his  boyhood  :  learned  the  trade  of  wool-sorting,  at  which 
he  worked  for  seventeen  years,  using  his  evenings  for  self-education. 
Married  Mary  Adelaide  Morrill  of  Amesbury  in  1860  ;  has  two  children. 
Attends  the  Garden  St.  Episcopal  Methodist  church.  Mr.  Harrie  is  an 
earnest  worker  in  the  labor  interest,  a  member  of  the  Labor  Reform 
State  Central  Committee,  and  has  been  closely  connected  with  all 
temperance  movements,  having  been  a  candidate  for  the  legislature  on 
the  prohibition  ticket  in  1873,  since  which  he  has  affiliated  with  the 
republican  party,  holding  various  offices.  Was  president  of  the  com- 
mon council  in  1877,  and  is  at  present  president  of  the  board  of  health. 


HISTORY    OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  II  7 

Messrs.  Rollins  and  Wright  were  Whigs,  and  supporters  of  Gen.  Win- 
field  Scott  in  the  Presidential  election  of  this  year,  although  many 
Whigs  on  this  occasion  refrained  from  voting  at  all,  and  not  a  few 
voted  for  his  opponent,  Gen.  Pierce.  The  city  at  this  time  was 
strongly  anti-democratic,  and  an  outright  Democratic  nominee  would 
have  shown  but  a  feeble  following.  Mr.  Rollins  was  the  nominee  of 
the  Whig  party  and  Mr.  Wright  received  the  support  of  the  disaf- 
fected, whatever  their  nation,  kind  or  condition. 

1858.  John  R.  Rollins  had  762  votes,  N.  G.  White,  538,  Nath- 
aniel G.  White,  76,  scattering,  1 1 .     This  was  almost  a  repetition  of 
the  preceding  year,  both  Messrs.  Rollins  and  White  were  members  of 
the  Whig  party.     Mr.  Rollins  being  re-nominated  by  his  party  as  be- 
fore, and  Mr.  White  receiving  the  support  of  the  Democratic  party 
and  disaffected  generally. 

1859.  This  was  probably  the  most  spirited  municipal  contest  our 
city  ever  witnessed.     Henry  K.  Oliver,  the  Republican  nominee,  re- 
ceived 886  votes,  Daniel  Saunders,  Jr.,  589,  scattering,  5. 

Republicanism  had  assumed  somewhat  fixed  proportions  and  di- 
mensions, and  Gen.  Oliver  was  the  nominee  of  that  party,  and  Mr. 
Saunders  of  the  Democratic,  but  politics  were  disregarded  to  quite  a 
general  extent.  Mr.  Saunders  had  the  support  of  some  of  the  most 
active  Republicans,  and  Gen.  Oliver  the  support  of  influential  Demo- 
cratic Catholics  and  their  followers.  Feeling  run  high,  but  the  Irish 
support  being  finally  secured  in  favor  of  the  latter,  he  was  elected  by 
quite  a  decided  majority. 

1860.  This  year  the  political  pot  was  turned  over.     Daniel  Saun- 
ders, Jr.,  the  Democratic  nominee  having  810  votes,  and  John  R. 
Rollins,  the  Republican,  having  646.     Mr.  Rollins,  yielding  to  the 
solicitation  of  his  party  made  the  dangerous  experiment  of  running 
for  a  third  time.     During  the  first  month  of  this  year  occurred  the 
terrible  disaster  of  the  fall  of  the  Pemberton  Mill,  thus  throwing  upon 


I  1 8  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

the  new  Mayor  a  care,  responsibility  and  duty  such  as  no  previous  one 
had  been  called  to  assume. 

1 86 1.  This  year  James  K.  Barker  was  the  Republican  candidate, 
and  Benjamin  F.  Watson  the  Democratic,  and  the  actual  standing  of 
the  two  respective  parties  at  that  time  can  be  fairly  judged  by  the 
result  of  this  election.     Mr.  Barker  had  967  votes,  Mr.  Watson,  567, 
scattering,  3.     Mr.  Watson  was  an  active,  energetic  politician,  promi- 
nent and  popular  in  his  party,  and  a  lawyer  of  first  rate  standing, 
with  personal  friends  in  abundance  in  all  quarters  of  the  city.     He 
conducted  the  campaign  personally  and  infused  into  his  followers  his 
own  individual  energy,  spirit  and  dash,  but  things  looked  ominous 
abroad.     There  was  an  angry  spirit  in  the  South, — Lincoln  was  just 
elected  President  of  the  United  States,  and  men  stuck  rigidly  to  their 
party  regardless  of  private  personal  feeling.     This  was  the  first  year 
of  the  war  and  on  that  account  is  memorable. 

1862.  During  the  interim  since  last  election,  the  Rebellion  had 
broken  out  and  with  it  came  new  responsibilities,  new  issues.     The 
Republican  party  had  become  strongly  cemented  together,  Mr.  Wright 
was  the  popular  war  candidate,  and  in  fact  the  better  classes  mostly 
rallied  to  his  support.     The  vote  stood,  W.  H.  P.  Wright,  805,  N.  G. 
White,  506,  James  K.  Barker,  87. 

1863.  The  same  issues  upon  which  the  previous  campaign  was 
fought  entered  into  this  issue.     The  vote  was,  W.  H.  P.  Wright,  719, 
N.  P.  H.  Melvin,  474,  Nathaniel  H.  P.  Melvin,  158. 

1864.  This  year  the  Republicans  entered  the  campaign  with  Dr. 
A.  J.  French  as  standard  bearer,  while  the  opposition  of  all  classes 
centered  their  strength  upon  John  Beetle  as  a  citizens'  candidate. 
The  vote  was,  A.  J.  French,  720,  John  Beetle,  615. 

1865.  The  war  party  were  early  in  the  field  for  this  campaign,  and 
by  selecting  Mr.  Bonney  as  candidate  the  opposition  was  feeble.   The 
vote  was,  Milton  Bonney,  762,  N.  Chapman,  270. 


EUGENE   S.   YATES, 

Physician  and  Surgeon,  at  307  Essex  St. ;  residence,  28  Summer  St. 
Has  resided  in  Lawrence  since  1847.  Was  born  at  Locke's  Mills,  Me., 
Oct.  22,  1845.  Educated  at  the  public  schools  of  the  city,  graduating 
from  the  high  school  in  class  of  '64.  Enlisted  May  10,  1864  in  Capt. 
Hamilton's  Company,  8th  Unattached,  for  three  months  ;  stationed  at 
Galloupe's  Island,  Boston  Harbor;  mustered  out  Aug.  1 1,  1864.  Was 
letter-carrier  at  Lawrence  Post  Office  for  the  remainder  of  the  year. 
Re-enlisted  Jan.  2,  1865  in  Co.  D,  Frontier  Cavalry,  stationed  at  Og- 
densburg,  N.  Y. ;  mustered  out  June  30,  1865.  Worked  for  Dr.  Aaron 
Ordway,  as  apothecary  clerk,  from  Aug.  9,  1865  to  Nov.  9,  1869,  when 
he  entered  Harvard  Medical  College,  graduating  at  Bellevue  Hospital 
Medical  College,  New  York  City,  class  of  '72  ;  has  practiced  in  this 
city  since  then.  Married  Miss  Cora  G.  Elliott  of  Fisherville,  N.  H., 
May  6,  1872.  Attends  the  First  Baptist  church.  City  Physician  for 
1878,  and  also  a  member  of  Lawrence  Board  of  Health. 


HISTORY    OF   LAWRENCE,    MASS.  1 19 

1866.  The  "boys"  had  come  marching  home  before  this  muni- 
cipal election.     In  the  fall  of   1865   when  the  election    came    off 
there  was  considerable  dissatisfaction  in  municipal  affairs,  and  many 
of  the  prominent  so  called  leaders  decided  to  support  N.  G.  White 
upon  a  citizens'  ticket.     Mr.  White  refused  to  have  his  name  used 
without  some  sort  of  assurance  that  such  a  step  was  desirable  on  the 
part  of  a  large  number  of  influential  citizens.     His  friends  therefore 
circulated  petitions  requesting  him  to  allow  his  name  to  be  used. 
These   were  signed   by   over   800   voters,   but  for  some  cause  the 
movement  fell  into  disrepute,  the  poorer  classes  thinking  it  a  move- 
ment in  favor  of  the  capitalist,  and  Pardon  Armington  was  taken  up 
as  "Sam's"  candidate,  and  with  a  short  but  vigorous  campaign  he 
was  elected  by  a  small  majority.     The  year  1866  will  be  remembered 
as  the  most  wasteful  and  improvident  city  government  ever  organized. 
The  vote  was,  Pardon  Armington,  894.  N.  G.  White,  828. 

1867.  The  Republican  party  and  its  manipulators  had  fallen  into 
disrepute  and  the  Democrats  carried  the  city  by  a  small  majority. 
N.  P.  H.  Melvin  had  959,  L.  A.  Bishop,  831. 

1868.  Mr.  Melvin  proving  himself  a  most  efficient  public  servant 
was  elected  without  any  determined  opposition.     N.  P.  H.   Melvin 
had  1406  votes,  Fred  Butler,  668. 

1869.  By  Mr.  Melvin's  square  and  straightforward  action  he  had 
displeased  many  party  adherents  and  the  Republicans  in  the  mean 
time  having  increased  so  that  with  a  fair  degree  of  unity  they  could 
succeed,  rallied  on  Major  Frank  Davis  as  their  candidate.     The 
contest  was  lively  and  a  full  vote  was  polled.     Frank  Davis  was 
elected,  having  1551  votes,  against  1396  for  N.  P.  H.  Melvin. 

1870.  Mr.  Melvin  was  again  the  standard  bearer  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  and  his  known  ability  gave  him  a  goodly  number  of 
votes  outside  his  party,  securing  his  election.     The  vote  stood,  N.  P. 
H.  Melvin,  1518,  John  B.  Atkinson,  1363. 


120  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

Since  that  time  the  causes  which  have  transpired  to  produce  the 
results  are  quite  familiar  to  most  of  the  residents  of  to-day.  A  re- 
capitulation simply  of  the  vote  is  therefore  only  appended  for  each 
municipal  year. 

1871.  S.  B.  W.  Davis,  1665,  John  J.  Doland,  1522. 

1872.  S.  B.  W.    Davis,    1726,   John   J.    Doland,    1604,    Daniel 
Hardy,  55. 

1873.  John  K.  Tarbox,  1959,  S.  B.  W.  Davis,  1685. 

1874.  John  K.  Tarbox,  2211,  scattering,  24. 

1875.  R.  H.  Tewksbury,  2396,  N.  P.  H.  Melvin,  1555. 

1876.  Edmund  R.  Hayden,  2162,  Wm.  S.  Knox,  1843. 

1877.  Caleb  Saunders,  2283,  A.  A.  Currier,  2010. 

1878.  James  R.  Simpson,  2365,  Caleb  Saunders,  1795. 

The  following  tables  will  show  the  comparative  increase  in  muni- 
cipal wealth  : 

Ratable  Polls.  Valuation. 

l847> 23 $1,719,204 

l848,       • 497 3.814,426 

l849> 1,321 5>73°>710 

l85°» 2,318 5,902,741 

1851, .  2,249 6,407,926 

l852, 2,542 6,374,355 

l853> 2,514 6,937,160 

l854, -     .  3,096 8,842,915 

:855, 3,366 9,954,041 

l856, 3,689 10,483,725 

l857> 3,525 10,227,310 

i858, 3,688 10,249,009 

l859> 2,932  .....  10,022,947 

l86o> 3,057 10,584,023 

iS6i, 3,609 10,269,615 

3,906 10,777,920 


EDWARD   CAUFY, 

Station  Agent  at  Boston  &  Maine  north  depot.  Residence,  10  Morton 
St.  Was  born  in  St.  Albans,  Me.,  July  26th,  1831.  Left  home  at  the 
age  of  1 6,  and  worked  at  lumbering  in  his  native  state  till  1849,  when 
he  came  to  Lawrence  and  worked  for  the  Essex  Co.  two  years.  En- 
tered the  employ  of  the  B.  &  M.  Railroad  in  1851,  as  conductor  of 
shifting  trains.  Enlisted  in  Co.  I,  6th  Reg't,  April  16,  1861,  and  was 
with  the  regiment  in  its  "march  through  Baltimore."  Enlisted  in  the 
26th  Regiment  the  same  year,  and  was  commissioned  ist  lieutenant  of 
Co.  F,  1862.  Four  months  after  was  commissioned  captain  of  Co.  B, 
and  held  that  position  until  the  close  of  the  war.  In  1873  was  promoted 
to  station  agent  by  the  Boston  &  Maine  Company. 


HISTORY   OF  LAWRENCE,    MASS.  13 

Ratable  Polls.  Valuation. 

1863,  .     .     .  3,378 10,937,450 

1864,  .     .     .  3,282  .          ...  11,074,430 

1865,  .     .     .  3,692  .                .     .  12,783,273 

1866, 4,147 13,748,285 

1867, 5>25° 14,684,000 

1868,                                   .  5,714 15,569,500 

1869, 5,960 16,647,000 

1870,       .                              .  6,316 17,912,500 

1871, 6,006 18,552,000 

1872,  .               ....  6,625 20,763,663 

1873,  7>000  •     •     •     •     *  21,687,732 

1874 7,577 22,918,775 

1875,  7,728 24,117,475 

1876, 8,120 23,902,599 

1877,            8,026 23,902,537 

1878, 8,540 23,714,017 


X. 
PUBLIC    SCHOOLS. 


In  1845,  wnen  the  Essex  Company  commenced  operations  within 
the  limits  of  the  territory  which  now  constitutes  Lawrence,  the  por- 
tion north  of  the  Merrimack  River  was  a  part  of  Methuen,  and  the  por- 
tion south  of  the  river  was  a  part  of  Andover.  There  were  in  the 
territory  three  one-story  schcolhouses,  looking  like  those  which  were 
then  to  be  seen  in  the  sparsely  populated  districts  of  Massachusetts, 
one  of  the  two  in  the  Methuen  portion  giving  no  perceptible  evidence 
that  it  had  ever  been  painted  ;  the  other  showing  that  it  had  once  been 
painted  red,  while  the  one  on  the  south  side  still  retained  a  yellowish 
tinge.  Our  fathers  were  nobly  desirous  that  every  child  should  be 
taught  the  rudiments  of  education,  and  they  provided  schools  for 
them,  but  they  seemed  to  think  little  of  making  the  schoolhouse 
comfortable  or  attractive.  In  these  houses,  one  upon  Tower  Hill,  the 
second  at  the  intersection  of  what  are  now  Prospect  and  East  Hav- 
erhill  Streets,  and  the  third  on  the  south  side,  near  the  intersection  of 
the  Lowell  road  and  the  Turnpike,  there  were  summer  and  winter 
schools  of  a  few  weeks'  duration. 

In  the  year  1846,  the  Essex  Company  erected  a  schoolhouse  be- 
tween Haverhill  and  Tremont  Streets,  where  a  school  was  opened 
under  the  direction  of  the  Methuen  School  Committee,  on  the  7th  of 
November,  by  Nathaniel  Ambrose  as  teacher.  He  commenced  with 


GILBERT  EDWIN   HOOD. 

Was  born  in  Chelsea,  Vt,  November  2ist,  1824;  lived  upon  his 
father's  farm  until  he  was  21  years  old.  Graduated  at  Dartmouth 
College  in  1851.  Taught  school  before,  during  and  after  his  college 
course.  Married  Frances  E.  Herrick  of  Danvers,  Mass.,  in  1852. 
Was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  Boston  in  1855.  Commenced  the  prac- 
tice of  law  in  Lawrence  in  1859,  and  has  resided  here  ever  since. 
Has  held  the  positions  of  Associate  Justice  of  Lawrence  Police  Court, 
City  Solicitor,  Register  of  Deeds,  Superintendent  of  Schools,  for 
twelve  years,  and  is  at  present  Treasurer  of  the  Broadway  Savings 
Bank. 


QUARTER-CENTENNIAL   HISTORY   OF   LAWRENCE,    MASS.  123 

twenty-five  scholars,  but  before  the  expiration  of  its  first  year  it  num- 
bered one  hundred  and  fifty  scholars. 

April  i  yth,  1847,  the  act  of  incorporation  of  the  Town  of  Law- 
rence was  signed  by  the  Governor,  and  April  26th  there  was  a  town 
meeting  for  the  choice  of  officers.  The  whole  number  of  votes 
thrown  was  164.  A  School  Committee  of  three  were  chosen, — James 
D.  Herrick,  Dan  Weed,  and  Wm.  D.  Lamb,  M.  D.,  two  of  whom 
are  still  residents  of  our  city.  At  their  second  meeting  it  was  voted 
that  one  male  teacher  and  five  female  teachers  be  employed,  Mr. 
Ambrose  as  male  teacher  in  the  Essex  Company's  house,  Miss  Rob- 
inson for  the  Durant  District,  Miss  Ford  for  the  Tower  Hill  District, 
Miss  Brown  and  Miss  Abbott  for  the  Free  Will  Baptist  Vestry,  and 
Miss  Odell  on  the  south  side  of  the  river. 

During  this  year,  a  story  and  a  half  schoolhouse  was  built  on  Jack- 
son street,  where  the  Unitarian  church  now  stands,  and  a  similar  one 
upon  the  Lowell  road  on  the  south  side  of  the  river. 

At  the  annual  town  meeting  held  March  1848,  a  school  committee 
of  five  were  chosen,  consisting  of  J.  D.  Herrick,  of  the  previous 
committee,  ami  Nathan  W.  Harmon,  Henry  F.  Harrington,  Lyman 
Whiting,  and  George  Packard,  two  of  whom  are  still  residents  of  the 
city.  The  committee,  early  in  the  year,  and  after  consultation  with 
Hon.  Horace  Mann  and  other  distinguished  educators,  adopted  the 
system  of  schools,  which  with  our  small  territorial  area,  was  deemed 
the  best  for  us,  consisting  of  primary,  intermediate  or  middle  schools, 
scattered  over  the  territory  of  the  town ;  one  grammar  school  upon 
the  North  Side  of  the  river  in  some  central  position,  one  Grammar 
School  upon  the  South  Side,  and  one  High  School  for  the  whole 
town.  At  the  first  meeting  of  the  Committee,  held  March  i3th,  a 
sub-committee  was  appointed  to  confer  with  the  town's  finance  com- 
mittee upon  the  absolute  necessity  of  additional  room  for  four  hundred 
scholars,  and  the  obligation  of  the  town  by  statute  to  provide  a  High 


1 24  QUARTER-CENTEXNIAL 

School.  The  finance  committee  reported  in  favor  of  an  appropria- 
tion of  $12,500  for  the  erection  of  an  edifice  of  the  capacity  de- 
manded. 

April  3d,  a  male  teacher  was  placed  over  the  Grammar  School  on 
South  Side.  April  i3th,  Geo.  A.  Walton  was  elected  master  of  the 
Grammar  School  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  and  which  was  then 
kept  in  the  Jackson  street  house.  Mr.  Walton's  connection  with  that 
school  was  commenced  April  xyth,  1848,  and  was  continued  without 
interruption  until  the  summer  of  1864  ;  and  during  these  more  than 
sixteen  years  he  was  the  earnest,  devoted  teacher,  under  whose  man- 
agement the  school  was,  what  one  of  our  reports  said  of  it, — an  ad- 
mirably ordered,  well  instructed  and  happy  Grammar  School. 

At  the  School  Committee  meeting  held  November  i4th,  1848, 
Rev.  Mr.  Harrington  reported  the  gift  of  school  apparatus  from  Gen. 
H.  K.  Oliver,  and  the  following  vote  was  passed  :  "That  as  General 
Oliver,  had  tendered  to  the  committee  the  gift  of  a  valuable  philo- 
sophical and  astronomical  apparatus  for  the  use  of  the  High  School  of 
this  town,  his  generous  offer  be  gratefully  accepted,  and  the  chairman 
be  authorized  to  receive  the  same  agreeably  to  the  wishes  of  the 
donor."  At  the  meeting  of  the  committee  held  November  2ist,  it 
was  voted  "  That  the  upper  rooms  of  the  new  School  House  be  de- 
voted to  the  use  of  the  Grammar  School,  and  the  front  room  of  the 
lower  story  be  devoted  to  the  use  of  the  High  School." 

1849,  January  17,  Mr.  Thomas  W.  T.  Curtis  was  examined,  and 
elected  teacher  of  the  High  School. 

The  time  for  dedicating  the  new  School  House  on  Haverhill 
Street,  was  fixed  for  January  3Oth,  and  at  a  meeting  of  the  school 
committee  the  evening  previous,  it  was  voted,  "  To  proceed  to  the 
choice  of  a  name  for  the  new  School  House."  Voted,  "That  the 
School  to  be  hereafter  kept  in  the  School  House  on  Haverhill  Street, 
in  town  of  Lawrence,  shall  bear  the  name  of  the  Oliver  School,  and 


JOHN    F.   COGSWELL, 

Cogswell  &  Co.'s  Express,  office,  5  Lawrence  Street;  residence,  276 
Haverhill  St.  Born  at  Dover,  N.  H.,  March,  1835.  Educated  at 
Phillips  Academy,  Andover.  Came  to  Lawrence  in  1853.  He  was 
employed  at  the  Pacific  Mills  four  years,  and  by  the  Boston  &  Maine 
Co.  two  years.  Entered  the  express  business  in  1859,  and  has  con- 
tinued in  it  since  that  time.  Attends  Grace  Episcopal  church.  Was 
a  member  of  common  council  in  1862-63,  and  is  at  present  one  of 
the  trustees  of  the  city  library  ;  also  a  trustee  of  the  Broadway  Savings 
Bank.  Married  Esther  M.  Merrill  in  1860;  has  two  children. 


HISTORY    OF   LAWRENCE,    MASS.  125 

that  this  name  shall  be  publicly  announced  by  the  chairman  of  the 
school  committee  in  the  words  of  the  above  vote." 

January  3151,  the  Committee  met  at  the  Oliver  School  House,  and 
after  examination,  seventeen  were  admitted  to  the  High  School. 
September  4th,  of  that  same  year,  another  examination  of  candidates 
took  place,  but  none  were  admitted. 

The  High  School  continued  under  the  sole  charge  of  Mr.  Curtis, 
with  about  twenty  scholars,  until  that  number  was  increased  by  the 
admission  of  twenty-two  scholars,  September  2d,  1850,  seven  only 
without  qualification.  October  24th  Miss  Sarah  B.  Hooker  was 
elected  assistant  teacher,  whose  subsequent  course  fully  sustained  the 
high  expectations  formed  from  her  appearance  and  examination. 

During  the  municipal  year  ending  March  ist,  1850,  the  Amesbury 
Street  School  House,  the  Newbury  Street  School  House,  and  the 
School  House  on  Tower  Hill,  which  was  called  the  Pine  Grove  School 
House,  were  built.  During  the  year  ending  March,  1851,  a  better 
School  House  was  built  on  the  South  Side  of  the  river,  opposite  the 
residence  of  M.  C.  Andrews,  and  also  the  Cross  Street  House,  and  a 
one-story,  and  what  was  considered  a  temporary  house  on  Oak  Street, 
in  the  rear  of  the  Oliver  School  House.  A  plan  was  also  submitted 
by  the  School  Committee  for  the  enlargement  of  the  Oliver  School 
House,  by  building  a  transverse  section,  three  stories  in  height,  fur- 
nishing in  the  upper  story  a  large  and  commodious  hall,  and  in  the 
second  and  first  stories,  eight  rooms.  At  the  close  of  the  fourth 
municipal  year  there  were  seventeen  distinct  schools  under  the  care 
of  twenty-five  teachers,  and  having  an  attendance  of  1470  scholars. 

From  the  first,  the  town  met  with  prompt  liberality  every  reasona- 
ble demand  made  by  the  School  Committee,  but  those  demands  could 
not  be  properly  anticipated.  Neither  the  town  authorities  nor  the 
School  Committee  had  data  by  which  they  could  calculate  with  cer- 
tainty the  School  accommodations  that  would  be  required  in  any 
specified  time.  The  School  report  for  the  year  ending  March, 


126  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

says :  "  When  the  Oliver  School  House  was  planned,  no  idea  of  a 
Grammar  School  was  associated  with  the  premises,  as  it  was  supposed 
that  the  Jackson  Street  House  would  accommodate  the  Grammar 
School  on  this  side  of  the  river,  for  an  indefinite  period.  But  before 
the  walls  were  up  it  was  found  necessary  entirely  to  alter  the  plan, 
and  the  Grammar  School  was  placed  in  its  upper  story,  with  seats  for 
184  scholars."  And  although  the  house  was  dedicated  January  3Oth, 
1849,  the  report  further  states,  the  accommodations  it  furnishes  have 
long  been  insufficient.  In  the  report  of  the  next  year,  from  March 
31,  1850  to  March  31,  1851,  when  advocating  the  necessary  enlarge- 
ment of  the  building,  the  committee  said  :  "  It  is  a  matter  of  profound 
thanksgiving  on  our  part,  in  view  of  our  official  responsibility,  that 
we  are  not  answerable  for  the  extraordinary  increase  of  the  children 
of  this  town."  Our  predecessors  recommended  that  a  new  house 
should  be  built  for  the  middle  and  primary  schools  now  kept  in  the 
Oliver  House,  and  the  rooms  they  had  occupied  be  devoted  to  the 
Grammar  School,  adding  :  This  arrangement  will  answer,  it  is  hoped 
for  several  years.  Several  years?  It  was  not  several  months, — in- 
deed, the  arrangement  had  not  been  carried  into  effect  before  the 
increase  of  scholars  was  such  as  to  leave  everything  worse  off  than 
before.  One  hundred  and  twenty-five  children,  the  report  farther 
says  "are  now  waiting  for  room  in  the  Oliver  School  House.'' 
With  good  reason,  therefore,  the  committee  urged  the  addition  of  the 
large  transverse  section. 

Since  that  addition  was  made  there  has  never  been  the  uncomfor- 
table pressure  of  necessity,  so  very  difficult  to  provide  for,  that  for  so 
many  years  harrassed  the  Committee. 

In  the  year  ending  March,  1852,  the  Unitarian  Vestry,  which  was 
on  Jackson  Street,  and  had  been  for  some  years  occupied  as  a  School 
House,  was  purchased  and  removed  to  the  intersection  of  Newbury 
and  Elm  Streets,  and  has  been  and  is  known  as  the  Elm  Street 
School  House. 


ALBERT   DAVID   SWAN, 

Fire  Insurance  Agent.  Office  at  No.  7  Lawrence  Street ;  residence, 
corner  of  Andover  St.  and  Winthrop  Ave.  Has  been  in  Lawrence 
since  1848,  excepting  from  1861  to  1866.  Born  in  Tewksbury,  Mid- 
dlesex Co.,  Mass.,  May  10,  1845.  Attended  the  Oliver  Grammar  and 
Lawrence  High  School ;  graduated  at  Comer's  Commercial  College, 
Boston.  Married  Helen  Eliza  Churchill,  May  loth,  1866  ;  has  no 
children.  Unitarian  in  belief.  Commenced  as  clerk  in  the  private 
banking  house  of  Hallgarten  &  Herzfield,  New  York  City ;  was  after- 
wards gold  paying  teller  and  also  attorney  for  the  firm  in  the  New 
York  Stock  Board.  Started  in  company  with  his  father,  under  the  firm 
name  of  D.  S.  Swan  &  Son,  in  1866,  in  the  Fire  Insurance  Agency 
business,  which  he  has  continued  to  the  present.  The  senior  member 
of  the  firm  died  in  1874.  Mr.  Swan  was  paymaster  of  the  2nd  Bat. 
Mass.  Light  Art.,  and  is  now  mustering  officer  and  paymaster  of  the 
ist  Bat.  Light  Art.  A  director  of  Bay  State  National  Bank. 


HISTORY    OF    LAWRENCE,  MASS.  127 

In  the  year  1854,  the  Hampshire  Street  School  House,  called  in 
the  late  School  Reports,  the  Pine  Street  House,  and  the  Franklin 
Street  School  House  were  built. 

In  the  year  1856,  the  small  one-story  School  House,  which,  at  the 
commencement  of  Lawrence  was  found  at  what  is  now  the  junction 
of  Prospect  and  East  Haverhill  Streets,  and  which  had  been  several 
times  repaired  and  improved,  gave  place  to  a  two  story  School  House 
of  a  similar  plan  with  the  other  wooden  School  Houses  in  the  city, 
and  the  one  story  house  on  Oak  Street  was  converted  into  a  two 
story  house,  furnishing  four  rooms  for  one  middle,  and  three  graded 
primary  schools,  and  this  same  year  an  addition  of  a  second  room 
for  the  primary  school  was  made  in  the  Amesbury  Street  house. 

In  1860,  the  Grammar  School  House  on  the  South  Side  was  moved 
to  the  spot  which  it  now  occupies,  and  a  large  addition  made  to  it, 
so  that  for  a  time  the  primary,  middle  and  grammar  schools  of  that 
part  of  the  town  were  accommodated  in  that  one  building. 

In  1 86 1,  a  two  story  School  House  of  wood  was  built  at  the  corner 
of  Lowell  and  Margin  Streets,  at  the  foot  of  Tower  Hill,  and  the 
Pine  Grove  house  was  removed  from  the  summit  to  the  southern  base 
of  the  hill  for  the  accommodation  of  the  primary  school  children 
between  the  hill  and  the  river. 

In  1862,  the  School  House  at  the  intersection  of  Methuen  and 
Newbury  Streets  was  built,  the  only  addition  made  to  the  School 
Houses  that  year. 

The  School  Committee,  when  pressed  above  measure  for  room  to 
furnish  sittings  to  the  children  clamoring  for  admission  to  the  schools, 
have  resorted  to  the  religious  societies  for  their  lecture  rooms  and 
vestries,  and  oftentimes  with  no  little  inconvenience  to  themselves, 
those  societies  have  allowed  their  use.  Schools  have  been  kept  in 
the  Free  Will  Baptist,  the  First  Baptist,  the  Lawrence  Street  Congre- 
gational, the  Central  Congregational,  the  Unitarian  and  the  Presby- 
terian societies. 


1 28  QUARTER-CENTE.VXIAL 

In  May,  1866,  the  following  preamble  and  resolution  were  adopted 
by  the  School  Committee. 

Whereas,  The  present  accommodations  of  the  Oliver  Grammar 
School  building  are  insufficient  to  meet  the  wants  of  the  school,  and 
whereas  the  room  now  occupied  by  the  Oliver  High  School  is  much 
needed  for  the  Oliver  Grammar  School,  therefore 

Resolved,  That  this  Board  would  respectfully  recommend  that  the 
City  Council  take  measures  to  secure  a  new  building  for  the  Oliver 
High  School,  at  as  early  a  day  as  is  practicable." 

In  the  year  1865,  under  Hon.  Milton  Bonney  as  Mayor,  the  City 
Government,  in  anticipation  of  this  necessity,  with  prudent  foresight, 
secured  suitable  grounds  for  the  erection  of  such  a  building,  and  the 
City  Government  of  1866,  under  Hon.  Pardon  Armington  as  Mayor, 
obtained  plans,  contracted  for  and  commenced  the  erection  of  such 
a  building  as  shall  meet  the  present  and  prospective  wants  of  the 
school. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  year  1867,  anticipating  the  removal  of  the 
High  School  to  the  house  designed  for  its  use,  alterations  were  made 
in  the  Oliver  Grammar  School  House  for  the  better  accommodation 
of  its  pupils.  As  a  commodious  hall  was  to  be  provided  in  the  High 
School  building,  which  could  be  used  by  the  Grammar  School  at  its 
annual  exhibitions,  the  hall  of  the  Grammar  School  building  was 
divided  into  three  rooms,  one,  a  large  room  capable  of  seating  half 
of  the  school  for  general  exercises  in  music,  etc.,  and  two  other 
rooms  of  the  same  size  as  in  other  parts  of  the  building  for  the  use  of 
a  division  of  the  school  or  a  section  of  a  division.  In  the  summer 
vacation,  the  front  portion  of  the  building  was  raised  one  story  so  as 
to  bring  it  to  the  same  elevation  with  the  transverse  portion,  and 
there  was  built  a  spacious  and  most  convenient  stairway,  with  ample 
clothes  rooms  for  the  scholars  of  each  school  room.  There  are  now 
in  the  Oliver  School  House  sixteen  rooms  occupied  by  classes,  and 
the  large  room,  which  can  seat  comfortably  four  hundred  children. 


ALBERT  FERNANDO  COLBURN, 

Stationer  and  Newsdealer,  (Colburn  Bros.)  281  Essex  St.;  residence, 
23  Orchard  St.  Has  been  in  Lawrence  twenty-nine  years.  Born  in 
Dracut,  near  Lowell,  October  8,  1834.  Attended  the  grammar  school 
under  the  principalship  of  George  A.  Walton,  afterwards  entering  the 
employ  of  Bean  &  Whittier,  furniture  dealers,  and  continuing  in  that 
business  until  the  firm  of  Colburn  Bro's  was  formed  in  1873.  For  a 
number  of  years  Mr.  Colburn  took  an  active  part  in  politics,  and  was 
a  member  of  the  city  council  from  Ward  I,  in  1867.  He  was  also  a 
member  of  the  fire  department  for  a  number  of  years,  prior  to  the 
advent  of  steamers,  and  was  captain  of  Niagara  Engine  Co.,  No.  2,  at 
the  time  of  the  disbanding  of  the  hand  engine  companies.  He  is  at 
present  an  active  member  of  numerous  secret  societies,  and  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Universalist  society. 


HISTORY   OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  1 29 

The  building  will  allow  of  eight  hundred  and  forty  scholars,  and  is, 
in  the  arrangement  of  its  rooms,  its  spacious  and  safe  stairways,  its 
commodious  clothes  rooms,  indeed  in  all  of  its  interior  arrangements, 
a  house  which  is  not  equalled,  certainly  not  excelled,  by  any  in  the 
State. 

From  this  general  review  of  our  schools,  we  now  speak  particularly 
of  the  High  School. 

In  1848,  in  the  second  year  of  the  municipal  organization,  meas- 
ures were  adopted  for  the  establishment  of  a  High  School.  In  No- 
vember of  that  year,  Gen.  Oliver  made  a  donation  of  valuable 
philosophical  and  astronomical  apparatus  for  its  use. 

January  i  7th,  1849,  Mr.  Thomes  T.  Curtis  was  elected  teacher  of 
the  High  School,  and  January  3151,  seventeen  were  admitted  to 
membership  in  the  school. 

September  ad,  1850,  twenty-two  scholars  were  admitted,  and  Octo- 
ber 24th  Miss  Sarah  B.  Hooker  was  elected  assistant. 

July,  1857,  Mr.  Curtis  resigned  the  office  of  Principal,  much  to  the 
regret  of  the  committee,  and  for  the  remaining  four  weeks  of  the 
term  Rev.  Henry  F.  Harrington  kindly  officiated  in  his  place. 

September,  185 1,  Mr.  C.  J.  Fennel,  whom  the  committee  had  elected 
to  the  office  of  Principal,  entered  upon  his  duties,  with  Miss  Hooker 
as  assistant. 

January  2ist,  1852,  Miss  Hooker  resigned  her  position,  a  step,  as 
the  school  report  says,  deeply  lamented  by  the  committee  and  the 
school,  with  the  parents  of  the  scholars,  and  the  many  who  had  wit- 
nessed her  peculiar  aptness  in  teaching.  The  committee  very  fortu- 
nately obtained  the  temporary  services  of  Miss  Jane  S.  Gerrish,  who 
was  very  soon  elected  as  assistant,  an  office  which  she  retained  2 1 
years  with  the  highest  credit  to  herself,  and  to  the  entire  satisfac- 
tion of  successive  committees. 

In  July,  1853,  Mr.  Pennel,  to  the  regret  of  the  committee,  resigned 
the  Principalship  of  the  school,  to  take  a  professorship  in  Antioch 


1 30  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

College,  Ohio,  and  Mr.  Samuel  J.  Pike,  then  a  tutor  in  Bowdoin  Col- 
lege, Maine,  was  elected  to  the  position,  and  entered  upon  his  duties 
in  September. 

A  louder  call  being  made  to  Mr.  Pike  from  the  school  committee 
of  Somerville,  he  resigned  his  position  soon  after  the  commencement 
of  the  Fall  term  of  1856.  His  three  years  of  service  were  faithfully 
and  acceptably  passed. 

In  June,  1856,  Miss  Harriet  C.  Hovey  was  elected  as  second  assis- 
tant, and  in  this  same  month  Gen.  Oliver  generously  donated  to  the 
school  department,  for  the  benefit  of  the  High  School,  a  fine  engrav- 
ing of  the  Landing  of  the  Pilgrims,  and  also  one  of  the  Battle  of 
Bunker  Hill,  together  with  busts  of  Cicero,  Demosthenes,  Socrates, 
Plato,  Franklin  and  Washington,  and  statuettes  of  Galileo,  Bowditch, 
Dante,  Goethe,  Schiller,  Tasso,  Ariosto  and  Petrarch.  They  have 
adorned  the  walls  of  the  High  School  room  in  the  Oliver  School 
House,  and  at  the  donor's  request  they  have  been  transferred  to  the 
school  room  of  the  new  building. 

For  a  few  months  after  the  withdrawal  of  Mr.  Pike,  the  position  of 
Principal  was  filled  by  Mr.  Wm.  H.  Farrar,  and  May  2d,  1857,  Mr. 
William  J.  Rolfe  was  elected  to  the  office.  After  a  service  of  four 
and  a  half  years,  on  August  27th,  1861,  he  tendered  his  resignation, 
which  was  reluctantly  accepted  by  the  committee,  with  the  following 
resolution  : 

Resolved,  That  the  School  Committee  of  Lawrence  hereby  express 
their  just  appreciation  of  the  diligence  and  fidelity  of  Mr.  Rolfe,  dur- 
ing his  connection  with  the  Oliver  High  School  as  Principal,  of  his 
mode  of  instruction,  well  adapted  to  awaken  a  spirit  of  inquiry  and 
research,  and  of  the  high  standard  to  which  his  labors  have  con- 
tributed so  largely  to  raise  the  school ;  and  that  we  hereby  commend 
him  to  others  as  a  thorough  and  critical  scholar  and  an  excellent 
instructor. 


PRESCOTT  GROSVENOR   PILLSBURY, 

Cashier  of  Lawrence  National  Bank,  Brechin  Block,  corner  of  Broad- 
way and  Essex  St.  Has  been  in  Lawrence  ten  years.  Was  born  in 
Newburyport,  Mass.,  June  13,  1846.  He  removed  in  early  youth  to 
Haverhill  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  that  city.  Vestry- 
man at  Grace  Episcopal  church.  Spent  one  year  in  the  counting 
room  of  Gooding  &  Johnson,  Haverhill ;  was  for  four  years  clerk  and 
teller  in  the  First  Nalional  Bank  in  Haverhill.  Came  to  Lawrence  in 
1868,  entering  the  Bay  State  National  Bank,  in  which  he  served  four 
years  as  teller  ;  was  appointed  cashier  of  the  Lawrence  National  Bank, 
upon  its  organization  in  1872  ;  is  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  Broadway 
Savings  Bank.  Appointed  justice  of  the  peace  by  Gov.  Washburne  in 
1873.  Mr.  Pillsbury  was  a  member  of  the  common  council  from 
Ward  III,  for  the  years  1875-6. 


HISTORY   OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  131 

For  three  months  succeeding  Mr.  Rolfe's  resignation,  the  commit- 
tee were  enabled  to  secure  the  services  of  Mr.  Thomas  G.  Valpey,  a 
highly  competent  instructor  in  another  institution  then  in  vacation. 
December  ist,  1861,  Mr.  Henry  L.  Boltwood,  who  had  been  elected 
to  the  office  of  Principal,  entered  upon  his  duties. 

May  8th,  1863,  Miss  Hovey,  after  seven  years  cheerful  and  faithful 
labor,   resigned  the  situation  of  assistant,  which  was  filled   by  the 
election  of  Miss  Marcia  Packard.     In  June  of  that  year  Mr.  Bolt- 
wood  resigned  his  situation,  which  was  temporarily  filled  by  Mr.  I.  H 
Ward  from  the  Theological  school  at  Andover. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  committee,  held  August  5th,  1863,  Mr.  Albert 
C.  Perkins  was  elected  Principal,  and  he  entered  upon  his  duties 
September  7th. 

No  change  occurred  in  principal  till  the  year  1873,  when  Albert  C. 
Perkins  tendered  his  resignation  to  accept  the  position  of  principal 
of  Phillips  Exeter  Academy.  During  his  ten  years'  service  in  the 
High  School  he  did  much  to  raise  its  standard  and  was  in  every  re- 
spect a  most  thorough  disciplinarian.  The  same  year  Miss  Packard 
and  Miss  Gerrish  resigned.  Mr.  Charles  T.  Lazelle  succeeded  as 
principal  and  Miss  Alice  Birtwell  and  Miss  Alice  Carter  as  assistants. 
In  1872  Mr.  Herbert  S.  Rice  was  employed  as  Teacher  of  Drawing, 
a  position  which  he  filled  acceptably  for  nearly  five  years. 

In  1875  Mr.  Horace  E.  Bartlett  was  called  to  the  principalship — a 
position  he  now  occupies.  The  teachers  of  the  High  School  the 
present  year  are  Horace  E.  Bartlett,  Parker  P.  Simmons,  Mary  A. 
Newell,  Emily  G.  Wetherbee,  Alice  Birtwell,  Ada  Leah,  Katharine  A. 
O'Keeffe. 

The  masters  of  the  Oliver  School  following  Mr.  Walton  were  James 
H.  Eaton,  John  L.  Brewster,  James  Barrell,  and  the  present  master, 
Park  S.  Warren. 

The  South  Lawrence  male  teachers  have  been  Mr.  Ayer  in  1848, 


132  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

Mr.  Tenney,  J.  B.  Fairfield,  W.  Fisk  Gile,  John  One,  J.  Henry  Root, 
J.  K.  Cole,  and  the  present  Grammar  master,  Edward  P.  Shute. 
Ayer  and  Tenney  taught  in  the  School  House  on  the  Lowell  road. 
Mr.  Fairfield  taught  from  January  1851  till  some  time  in  1858  in  a 
building  that  stood  where  Mr.  A.  D.  Swan's  residence  now  stands. 
W.  Fisk  Gile  taught  in  the  same  place,  and  also  Mr.  Orne.  The 
School  was  then  transferred  to  where  the  Saunders  School  now  is. 
Mr.  Root  taught  in  the  new  building.  Mr.  Cole  began  there  and 
went  to  the  present  Packard  School  building  when  it  was  completed. 
Mr.  Cole  taught  longer  than  any  other  male  teacher  there. 

In  1869  the  Cross  Street  School  House  was  repaired  and  enlarged, 
and  a  new  school  house  built  at  the  corner  of  Woodland  and  Pleasant 
streets.  In  1870  the  Oak  Street  house  was  completed.  In  1872  the 
brick  School  House,  dedicated  as  the  Packard  School  was  completed. 
In  1873  the  Woodland  Street  School  House  was  enlarged  to  three 
times  its  former  capacity,  and  a  new  brick  School  House  containing  four 
large  rooms  built  on  East  Elm  Street,  and  when  dedicated  the  follow- 
ing season  was  named  the  Harrington  School.  In  1875  tne  Frank- 
lin Street  School  House  was  enlarged,  a  new  house  built  on  Hancock 
Street,  and  the  substantial  brick  house  on  Washington  Street  com- 
menced, which  was  completed  the  following  year. 

In  1876  a  new  building  was  erected  in  Ward  Six,  corner  of  Union 
and  Andover  Streets,  and  in  1877  the  Franklin  Street  School  House 
was  enlarged  to  admit  of  four  Schools. 

The  School  Superintendents  of  Lawrence  have  been  :  John  A. 
Goodwin  from  1853  to  1854;  Henry  F.  Harrington,  1854-55  ;  Geo. 
Packard,  1855-56  ;.  and  1859-61  ;  A.  Williams,  1856-7  ;  Henry  K. 
Oliver,  1857-9;  Joseph  L.  Partridge,  1861-64;  John  R.  Rollins, 
January  to  June  in  the  year  1864  ;  Gilbert  E.  Hood,  June,  1864,  to 
January,  1877;  Harrison  Hume  began  January  i,  1877,  and  is  still 
in  office. 


HISTORY    OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS. 


133 


The  following  table  will  show  the  comparative  increase  of  School 
children  since  the  beginning  of  the  city  : 


1841;, 

40 

1862 

7.7IO 

1847, 

.  .    800 

l86^ 

3  ^84 

1848, 

QOO 

1864, 

-J.4QC 

1840, 

1,527 

1865, 

3,61  1 

i8=;o. 

I,47O 

1866,   . 

4,026 

1851,   •   • 

I,7OQ 

1867, 

4,4^2 

1852,   .   . 
i8q*. 

•   •    1,650 
1,  860 

1868,   . 
1860, 

4,359 
4,66c; 

l8S4, 

2,l67 

1870, 

.   4,846 

1855,  .  . 

1856 

.   .    2,518 

2.7Q2 

1871,   . 

1872, 

.....   4,856 
4,847 

1  8c  7 

3,O22 

1871, 

^,141 

i8=;8 

2,610 

1874, 

•  •   S,-?8s 

l8sQ 

2,702 

1871;,   . 

....   5,648 

i860 

-2,171 

1876, 

^,6^4 

1861. 

T,2JO 

1877, 

6,088 

XI. 
THE    COURTS.— PUBLIC  LIBRARY. 


Along  with  the  wheat  cometh  the  tares.  And  so  it  was  with  the 
first  comers  to  the  new  city.  Violent  and  wicked  men  had  to  be  re- 
strained and  punished.  Town  governments  in  their  adminis'ra'icn 
of  justice  were  too  slow-going  coaches  to  take  care  of  victims  that 
which  had  to  be  confined  in  lockups  from  night  to  night.  Therefore 
early  as  1848,  a  Police  Court  was  organized  and  Judge  William 
Stevens  of  North  Andover,  was  appointed  Judge.  This  well  remem- 
bered man  occupied  the  bench  from  that  year,  1848,10  1877,  when 
he  resigned  on  account  of  loss  of  eye  sight.  During  his  term  the 
following  gentlemen  were  consecutively  clerks  :  Wm.  H.  P.  Wright, 
Edgar  J.  Sherman,  Henry  L.  Sherman,  Charles  E.  Briggs,  Jesse  G. 
Gould,  and  H.  F.  Hopkins,  the  latter  who  still  fills  the  position,  hav- 
ing been  recorder  there  since  1874. 

After  Judge  Stevens  retired  the  place  was  filled  for  about  a  year  by 
associate  Justice,  W.  H.  P.  Wright,  when  Judge  N.  W.  Harmon 
received  the  appointment  of  Judge  and  assumed  the  duties  May 
ist,  1877. 

On  the  4th  of  January,  1878,  Judge  Stevens  was  stricken  by  apo- 
plexy and  died  in  a  few  hours.  He  was  buried  in  North  Andover,  a 

134 


QUARTER- CENTENNIAL    HISTORY    OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS. 


X35 


committee  of  the  Lawrence  bar  being  chosen  to  attend  his  funeral. 
On  the  next  return  day,  January  22d,  appropriate  resolutions  were 
presented  in  the  Police  Court  and  entered  on  the  records.  Ad- 


JUDGE   \VM.    STEVENS. 

dresses  were  made  by  District  Attorney  Sherman,  A.  C.  Stone,  C.  U. 
Bell,  W.  L.  Thompson,  W.  S.  Knox,  A.  R.  Sanborn,  E.  T.  Burley,.  W. 
J.  Quinn,  and  Judge  N.  W.  Harmon.  The  present  associate  justices 
are  W.  Fisk  Gile  and  C.  U.  Bell. 

The  Supreme  Court  has  no  session  here.  The  Superior  Court 
holds  civil  and  criminal  sessions. 

PUBLIC    LIBRARY. 

The  history  of  the  Free  Public  Library  of  this  city  dates  in  one 
sense  from  the  beginning  of  the  town.  The  Franklin  Library  Asso- 
ciation was  chartered  by  the  Legislature  of  1847,  and  in  July  of  that 


136  QUARTER-CEXTEN'NIAL 

year  Hon.  Abbott  Lawrence  gave  to  the  library  the  sum  of  one  thou- 
sand dollars  for  the  purchase  of  "such  scientific  and  other  works  as 
will  tend  to  create  good  mechanics,  good  Christians  and  good  pat- 
riots." Captain  Charles  H.  Bigelow  was  the  first  President  of  the 
Association.  In  1847  Mr.  Lawrence  died.  He  left  by  his  will  $5000 
more  for  the  Franklin  Library.  The  price  of  shares  was  ten  dollars, 
with  an  annual  assessment  of  two  dollars,  and  on  these  terms  the 
library  was  open  to  anybody.  Finding  the  price  of  the  shares  too 
high,  the  Association  lowered  the  terms  in  1853  to  five  dollars,  and 
the  assessment  to  one  dollar,  and  in  1857  the  library  was  thrown 
open  to  anybody  who  was  willing  to  pay  one  dollar  for  its  privileges. 
Even  this  small  sum  proved  a  barrier,  and  in  1868  the  library  was 
offered  to  the  City  Government  to  be  used  as  a  Public  Library, 
but  the  offer  was  declined.  In  1852,  Hon.  Daniel  A.  White,  of 
Salem,  left  a  fund,  the  income  of  which  should  be  appropriated  to  a 
course  of  Lectures  free  to  the  industrial  classes  of  Lawrence  and  for 
the  purposes  of  a  library.  The  White  Fund  Lectures  are  the  result 
of  that  liberal  bequest,  and  the  rest  of  the  income  has  materially 
aided  the  library.  In  1872  the  Association  again  offered  their  4000 
volumes  and  nearly  $3000  to  the  city  for  a  Free  Library,  and  this 
time  the  offer  was  accepted,  the  trustees  of  the  White  Fund  also  pro- 
posing to  contribute  $1000  the  first  year  and  an  annual  sum  after- 
ward. July  2d,  1872,  the  Council  established  the  Free  Public  Li- 
brary of  Lawrence.  Shortly  afterward  the  Agricultural  Library,  an 
association  of  Lawrence  and  Methuen  gentlemen,  transferred  their 
books  to  the  city  library  through  the  instrumentality  of  John  C.  Dow. 
August  29111,  the  trustees  chose  William  I.  Fletcher,  Librarian.  Mr. 
Fletcher  resigned  in  March,  1874,  and  the  present  Librarian,  Frederic 
H.  Hedge,  Jr.,  took  charge  of  the  library  May  i6th,  1874.  The 
whole  number  of  volumes  in  the  library  at  this  writing,  including 
duplicates,  is  18,000,  exclusive  of  duplicates,  16,400. 


NATHAN   W.    HARMON, 

Judge  of  Police  Court ;  office  at  Police  Court  Building ;  residence,  349 
Haverhill  St.  Born  in  New  Ashford,  this  State,  1813.  Read  law 
with  the  late  Judge  Byington,  commencing  practice  in  1838  at 
Lanesboro  and  Adams,  where  he  remained  nine  years.  Was  at  one 
time  law-partner  with  the  late  Ex-Gov.  Briggs.  Came  to  Lawrence 
June  nth,  1847.  Judge  Harmon  has  held  numerous  city  offices,  and 
has  been  a  member  of  the  school  committee  under  town  and  city  organ- 
ization. Was  in  the  lower  house  of  legislature,  1857,  in  the  senate, 
1873,  and  commissioner  under  the  bankrupt  law  of  1841.  He  has 
been  a  director  of  the  Essex  Savings  Bank  from  the  first.  Appointed 
assistant  assessor  of  Internal  revenue  in  1862,  holding  the  position 
nine  years.  Was  appointed  judge,  May  8th,  1877.  Married  Cornelia 
C.  Briggs,  1841  ;  has  four  children. 


XII. 

WATER  WORKS— FIRE  DEPARTMENT— NAV- 
IGATION. 


The  Legislature  of  1848  incorporated  John  Tenney,  of  Methuen, 
Alfred  Kittredge,  of  Haverhill,  and  Daniel  Saunders  cf  Lawrence, 
and  their  associates,  as  the  Lawrence  Aqueduct  Company,  with  a 
capital  of  $50,000,  empowering  them  to  take  water  from  Hackett's 
pond  in  Andover,  and  convey  it  for  distribution  and  use  in  Lawrence. 
The  scheme  was  found  to  be  impracticable  and  abandoned.  The 
subject  of  a  water  supply  continued  to  be  more  or  less  agitated,  but 
nothing  was  done  till  1871,  when  a  number  of  citizens  petitioned  the 
City  Council  to  take  some  steps  to  provide  the  city  with  a  supply  of 
pure  water.  The  petition  received  favorable  action,  and  Mayor  S.  B. 
W.  Davis,  Alderman  James  Payne,  and  President  A.  C.  Stone,  H.  J. 
Couch,  and  Cyrus  Williams  of  the  Common  Council  were  appointed 
a  committee  to  make  investigation  of  the  subject  matter,  have  the 
results  arrived  at  recorded  for  the  benefit  of  a  future  city  government. 
The  committee  visited  Lowell  and  Providence,  made  extended  in- 
quiries and  decided  that  the  water  supply  of  Lawrence  must  either 
come  from  Raggett's  Pond,  North  Andover  Pond,  Policy  Pond  in 
New  Hampshire,  or  the  Merrimac- River,  and  the  committee  unhesi- 
tatingly recommended  the  latter. 

137 


1 38  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

In  1872  an  act  was  obtained  from  the  Legislature  authorizing  the 
city  to  take  water  from  the  river  at  any  point  in  Lawrence  or  Me- 
thuen,  and  convey  it  through  pipes  into  and  about  the  city.  The 
act  was  submitted  to  the  voters  of  Lawrence,  and  was  accepted  by  a 
vote  of  1298  to  830,  wards  one  and  six  giving  majorities  against  it. 
A  joint  special  committee  on  water  was  appointed  from  the  City 
Government,  consisting  of  Aldermen  James  Payne  and  James  A. 
Treat,  and  President  L.  D.  Sargent,  H.  J.  Couch  and  George  W. 
Russell  from  the  Common  Council  to  obtain  surveys,  plans  and  esti- 
mates of  the  cost  of  works  needed  to  furnish  the  city  with  a  suitable 
supply  of  pure  water.  This  committee  was  allowed  $8000  or  less. 
Mr.  Payne  was  made  Chairman  of  the  Committee.  Mr.  L.  F.  Rice 
of  Boston,  was  engaged  to  make  a  preliminary  survey.  The  com- 
mittee reported  that  the  advantages  of  the  Merrimac  for  a  water 
supply  were  so  obvious  that  the  passage  of  an  ordinance  creating  a 
Board  of  Water  Commissioners  was  warmly  recommended. 

In  April  1873,  Mayor  Tarbox  approved  an  ordinance  creating  a 
Board  of  Water  Commissioners,  and  on  the  8th  of  May,  Wm.  Bar- 
bour,  Patrick  Murphy,  and  Morris  Knowles  were  created  Water 
Commissioners.  Mr.  Barbour  was  made  Chairman  and  Mr.  Murphy 
Secretary.  The  Commissioners  gave  their  attention  as  to  the  best 
system  of  distribution.  The  Holly  or  direct  system  had  many  friends 
and  gave  much  satisfaction.  The  Commissioners  finally  decided  to 
combine  the  Holly  system  and  the  Reservoir  system,  the  former  for 
fire  purposes,  and  the  latter  for  all  general  purposes  of  supply.  Wal- 
ter F.  McConnell,  of  Boston,  was  engaged  as  Chief  Engineer,  and 
Baldwin  Coolidge  and  Charles  H.  Littlefield  as  Assistants.  James  P. 
Kirkwood,  of  Brooklyn,  was  engaged  as  Consulting  Engineer.  Sur- 
veys were  at  once  begun  on  the  farm  of  Samuel  Ames,  where  the 
Pumping  Station  and  Filter  Galleries  are  located,  and  on  Bodwell's 
Hill  where  is  the  Reservoir. 


MOULTON    BATCHELDER, 

City  Marshal;  office  at  Police  Station.  Residence,  18  Bradford  St. 
Has  been  in  Lawrence  twenty-two  years.  Born  at  Plainfield,  Vt., 
Dec.  7,  1836  ;  has  one  child.  His  early  life  was  spent  upon  a  farm. 
For  six  years  prior  to  1862  he  was  watchman  at  the  Washington  Mills, 
at  which  time  he  enlisted  in  Co.  C,  4oth  Mass.  Reg't.  Commissioned 
first-lieutenant  in  the  6th  Reg't  in  1864.  Returned  to  Lawrence  and 
was  appointed  on  the  police  force,  serving  in  various  positions  until 
1873,  when  for  two  years  he  was  keeper  at  the  house  of  correction  in 
this  city.  In  1875  was  assistant  marshal  till  July,  when  he  was  ap- 
pointed marshal.  Was  marshal,  in  1876  day  officer  in  1877,  and  was 
again  appointed  marshal  in  1878. 


HISTORY   OF    LAWRENCE,  MASS.  139 

The  lowest  bid  for  constructing  the  reservoir  was  from  J.  B.  Dacey 
&  Co.  of  Boston,  and  Patrick  Kiernan  of  Chelsea,  and  they  were  given 
the  contract,  breaking  ground  November  i2th,  1873.  But  little  was 
done  that  winter,  but  in  the  March  following  work  was  resumed.  The 
contract  called  for  the  completion  of  the  reservoir  by  the  first  day  of 
October,  1875,  DUt  ^  was  n°t  Quite  completed  at  that  time. 


The  water  is  pumped  from  the  river  by  two  of  I.  P.  Morris  &  Go's 
engines,  and  is  discharged  into  a  force  main  thirty  inches  in  diameter 
laid  in  the  center  of  Ames  street,  extending  to  the  reservoir,  a  distance 
of  five  thousand  feet.  Emery's  Hill  was  tunnelled  for  a  distance  of 
900  feet,  the  north  end  of  the  tunnel  being  a  few  feet  south  of  Lowell 
street.  The  tunnel  is  six  feet  high,  seven  feet  wide,  egg  shaped,  with 
flattened  bottom,  and  is  built  of  hard  burned  brick  laid  in  hydraulic 
cement,  with  a  well  or  man-hole  at  either  end  to  give  free  access,  and 
to  enable  pipe  to  be  lowered,  should  repairs  be  necessary.  The  force 
main  is  carried  across  .Haverhill  street  just  east  of  the  house  of  Asa 
M.  Bodwell,  and  enters  the  reservoir  bank  at  the  northwest  corner. 
It  goes  through  this  bank  to  a  point  opposite  the  centre  of  the  mid- 
dle bank,  where  it  turns  and  is  carried  along  the  middle  bank  to  the 
overfall  where  it  is  turned  upwards  and  the  water  is  discharged,  the 
stream  being  turned  at  will  into  either  basin  of  the  Reservoir.  The 
Reservoir  is  of  rectangular  form,  730  feet  long  and  41  1  feet  wide,  and 
has  a  total  capacity  of  40,000,000  gallons  when  full.  It  is  twenty- 
five  feet  deep.  Each  basin  is  263  feet  by  300  feet,  measured  on  the 
bottom  on  the  line  of  the  skewbacks. 

The  street  mains  are  all  of  cast  iron  pipe,  and  range  from  six  to 
thirty  inches  in  diameter.  The  main  line  of  distribution  is  in  Ha- 
verhill street,  where  a  thirty  inch  pipe  is  laid  to  Broadway,  then  a 
twenty-four  inch  pipe  to  Hampshire  street,  and  thence  one  of  twenty 
inches  to  the  Common,  where  it  is  still  further  reduced  to  sixteen 
inches,  and  at  Jackson  street  the  pipe  is  further  reduced  to  twelve 


140  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

inches  as  far  as  the  Spicket  Bridge,  where  a  ten  inch  pipe  is  used  in 
Beach  street  till  it  meets  the  ten  inch  main  in  Prospect  street.  This 
is  the  main  line  of  distribution,  but  there  is  another  by  which  the 
water  may  be  taken  from  the  Reservoir  through  Ames,  Canal,  Water 
and  Lawrence  streets. 

Besides  the  duplicate  Reservoir  distribution,  the  plan  of  direct 
pumping  is  added  as  a  perfect  guaranty  of  unbroken  water  supply, 
and  for  the  purpose  of  extinguishing  fires.  The  latter  feature,  how- 
ever, has  not  as  yet  been  tested.  It  is  not  known  at  this  writing 
whether'  the  mains  would  bear  the  strain  of  forcing  water  through 
them  directly  from  the  pumps  with  a  pressure  supplied  for  fire  pur- 
poses, though  the  Reservoir  pressure  alone  is  sufficient  in  most  places 
to  enable  the  fire  department  to  do  good  service  with  hose  directly 
attached  to  the  hydrants ;  in  the  future  they  will  be  more  fully  devel- 
oped. The  Lowry  hydrant  is  in  use.  It  is  a  flush  hydrant,  and  is 
set,  wherever  practicable,  in  the  streets  directly  over  the  main,  and  in 
fact  is  a  part  of  the  main.  The  salaries  of  the  commissioner  who 
put  in  the  works  and  the  pay  of  the  inspectors,  laborers,  engineers  and 
staff  amounted  to  $63,128.54;  travelling  expenses,  $4,264.41;  cost 
of  distributing  reservoir",  $275,151.44  ;  pumping  station,  $161,923.30  ; 
engines  and  boilers,  $116,851.51  ;  pipe  laying,  $76,480.17  ;  pipes,  etc., 
$374,558.23;  tunnel,  $22,357.88;  furniture,  rent,  etc.,  $1,998.78; 
engineers'  instruments,  $1,462.71  ;  legal  expenses,  $585.00;  station- 
ery, $506.60  ;  drawing  materials,  $502.22  ;  printing  and  advertising, 
$1,449.89;  house  services,  $10,191.02;  land  damages,  $27,000; 
general  construction,  $20,940.05  ;  maintenance,  $4,719.34.  Some 
unpaid  bills  swelled  the  total  cost  to  $1,192,967.84. 

May  gth,  the  term  of  office  of  the  commissioners  expired  and  they 
made  a  final  report  to  the  City  Council.  The  care  of  the  works  is 
now  vested  in  a  Water  Board  consisting  of  Milton  Bonney,  President, 
R.  H.  Tewksbury,  N.  P.  H.  Melvin,  Albert  R.  Field,  David  T.  Porter. 
The  Superintendent  is  Henry  W.  Rogers,  Registrar,  Geo.  A.  Durrell. 


WILLIAM    E.   HEALI), 

Chief  Engineer  of  Lawrence  Fire  Department ;  office  at  Washington  5 
Engine  House,  Lowell  St. ;  residence,  No.  330  Haverhill  St.  Bonvat 
Temple,  N.  H.,i839.  Has  resided  in  Lawrence  since  1860.  Learned 
the  bottling  business  at  Lynn,  where  he  worked  during  1855  and  1856. 
Worked  in  Salem  at  the  same  business  during  1857,  1858  and  1859. 
Carried  on  the  bottling  business  in  Lawrence  from  1860  to  1877,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Wm.  E.  Heald  &  Co.,  34  Hampshire  St.  Married 
Lucincla  A.  Jordan  of  Waltham,  Me.,  in  1865  ;  has  one  child.  Joined 
the  fire  department  in  1861  ;  was  assistant  foreman  several  years  and 
was  upon  the  board  of  fire  engineers  in  1873,  1874,  1875,  1876  and 
the  present  year. 


HISTORY    OF   LAWRENCE,    MASS.  141 

At  this  writing  there  have  been  laid  about  2,500  service  pipes. 
The  number  of  water  takers  on  the  first  of  January  last  was  5,739. 
The  corporations  comprising  the  Lawrence  Reservoir  Association  are 
supplied  with  city  water  at  sixty  dollars  per  million  gallons.  The 
bonded  water  debt  of  Lawrence  is  $1,300,000,  and  it  is  hoped  that 
in  a  few  years  the  number  of  takers  will  have  become  so  much  in- 
creased, and  the  cost  of  maintenance  reduced  so  that  the  water 
works  will  become  self-sustaining.  Even  if  it  should  not  quite  do 
this,  the  citizens  have  abundant  "cause  for  congratulation  that  they 
have  a  generous  supply  of  pure  water. 

FIRE   DEPARTMENT. 

Two  employes  of  the  Merrimac  Machine  Shop,  Thomas  Scott  and 
N.  S.  Bean,  were  foremost  in  giving  to  the  world  the  steam  fire  engine. 
It  took  some  time  for  the  public  to  find  out  the  merit  of  the  inven- 
tion, but  this  was  discovered  at  last  and  gladly  accepted.  The  first 
one  built  here  was  called  the  Lawrence,  and  this  was  purchased  by 
the  city  of  Boston.  The  Amoskeag  Company  bought  the  invention, 
and  the  machines  of  that  company  are  now  too  well  known  to  need 
mention. 

The  first  fire  engine  in  use  in  Lawrence  was  the  Essex,  bought  by 
the  Essex  Company,  and  manned  by  workmen  in  their  employ,  Mr. 
Henry  Goodell  foreman.  The  Essex  was  soon  followed  by  machines 
of  larger  capacity,  and  by  hose  and  hook  and  ladder  companies,  until 
at  the  introduction  of  the  steam  fire  engine,  the  department  was  well 
equipped.  In  1866  the  city  had  four  engines,  with  6000  feet  of  hose. 
The  department  has  now  five  steam  fire  engines,  and  one  hook  and 
ladder  company.  Each  company  has  a  separate  hose  carriage  in- 
stead of  having  its  hose  pulled  along  behind  as  formerly.  The  water 
works  now  enable  the  department  to  do  good  service  with  hose 
directly  attached  to  the  hydrants.  The  pumping  system  is  intended 
to  give  force  enough  to  largely  dispense  with  the  engines,  but  this  has 


142  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL   HISTORY   OF   LAWRENCE,    MASS. 

not  yet  been  effected.  When  .the  pipes  have  been  subjected  to  pres- 
sure to  see  if  they  will  bear  the  necessary  force,  this  feature  of  the 
water  works  will  be  utilized.  The  pressure,  however,  from  the  reser- 
voir alone  is  found  useful.  The  fire  engineers  for  1878  are  Wm.  E. 
Heald,  Albert  Emerson  and  J.  B.  Campbell. 

July  3ist,  1869,  was  completed  the  Fire  Alarm  Telegraph.  It  was 
erected  by  Mr.  Stevens,  of  Boston,  at  a  cost  of  $8000  to  the  city. 
This  has  added  materially  to  the  efficiency  of  the  department.  Since 
that  time  the  wires  have  been  considerably  extended,  and  many  new 
alarm  boxes  have  been  put  up  to  better  convenience  the  people  in 
giving  prompt  alarms.  There  are  at  present  thirty-two  fire  alarm 
boxes,  and  the  numbers  now  range  from  box  2  to  box  51. 

NAVIGATION*. 

The  year  1877  marked  the  greatest  advance  yet  made  in  naviga- 
ting the  Merrimac.  In  June  1848,  the  steamer  Lawrence,  Capt.  Shep- 
ard,  came  up  from  Newburyport  with  a  delegation  from  that  place  and 
adjoining  towns.  Since  that  time  sundry  efforts  have  been  made  to 
navigate  the  river,  but  with  little  success.  Gen.  Butler's  efforts  a  few 
years  ago  to  remove  obstructions  met  with  some  success,  and  last  year 
Mr.  E.  M.  Boynton  took  hold  of  the  matter  with  great  energy,  and 
made  a  marked  advance.  Many  obstructions  were  removed,  boats 
built  for  transporting  coal,  lands  leased  of  the  Essex  Company  for  a 
landing  phce  and  coal  yard,  and  several  thousand  tons  of  coal  were 
delivered  in  this  city  direct  from  Newburyport  before  winter  set  in. 

This  year  there  have  been  numerous  drawbacks  to  the  enterprise. 
The  channel  at  Mitchell's  Falls  proved  to  be  neither  deep  enough  or 
wide  enough  to  guarantee  safe  transportation  and  efforts  are  still  being 
made  to  improve  it.  Serious  doubts  are  still  entertained  as  regards 
utilizing  the  river  for  the  carrying  of  freights,  but  it  is  more  than  prob- 
able that  ere  long  a  safe  and  available  route  will  be  opened  from  this 
city  to  the  sea  for  the  conveyance  of  passengers  and  pleasure  parties. 


ALBERT   EMERSON, 

Blacksmith,  341  Common  St.;  residence,  6 1  Tremont  St.  Has  been 
in  Lawrence  twenty-four  years.  Was  born  in  Dover,  N.  H.  in  1831. 
Learned  his  trade  and  worked  in  Dover  three  years.  Came  to  Law- 
rence in  1854  and  engaged  in  business  under  the  firm  name  of  Bry- 
ant &  Emerson,  the  partnership  continuing  seven  years.  Mr.  Emerson 
has  carried  on  business  at  his  present  location  since  then.  Married 
Emeline  E.  Lord  of  South  Berwick,  Me.,  in  1851  ;  has  six  children. 
Attends  the  Unitarian  church.  Was  a  member  of  the  common  council 
in  1 86 1-2,  alderman  in  1863  and  1867,  a  member  of  the  board  of 
fire  engineers  in  1869,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Engineers  the 
present  year. 


XIII. 
ORDERS   AND   SOCIETIES. 


No  one  thing  perhaps  shows  the  hand  of  human  progress  more 
than  the  increase  of  societies  and  organizations  for  the  practice  of  the 
principles  of  benevolence  and  charity.  Most  of  these  organizations 
are  private  to  the  extent  of  having  peculiar  signs  and  grips — trade 
marks  to  prevent  the  intrusion  of  the  uninitiated  and  scandal-mon- 
ger,— but  none  of  them  requiring  any  obligation  that  in  any  way  con- 
travenes with  civil  or  religious  liberty.  Among  the  oldest  of  these 
are  the  Free  Masons,  who  claim  an  antiquity  that  dates  back  to  the 
days  of  King  Solomon.  True,  Masonry  did  exist  in  the  early  ages  of 
the  world.  The  building  of  temples  required  skilled  labor.  It  was 
a  branch  of  industry  peculiar  to  itself.  A  workman  upon  these  build- 
ings must  be  familiar  with  every  tool  known  to  the  masons'  art,  hence 
those  competent  to  ply  this  vocation  early  found  the  need  of  organi- 
zation, for  to  find  continuous  employment  they  must  needs  migrate 
from  state  to  state  and  country  to  country.  The  organization  be- 
came powerful  and  strong.  But  nowhere  in  the  records  given  to  pos- 
terity from  the  earliest  date  down  to  the  seventeenth  century  of  the 
Christian  era  is  there  found  any  account  of  a  secret  organization 
being  long  in  existence  and  flourishing,  that  had  for  a  corner  stone 
the  amelioration  of  mankind  through  that  heaven  born  principle, 

143 


144  QUARTER- CENTENNIAL 

charity.  Secret  societies,  for  divers  purposes,  have  flourished  to  some 
extent  in  all  ages,  but  as  they  at  present  •  exist  the  main  idea  is 
modern.  They  grow  as  civilization,  education  and  religion  pave  the 
way.  As  superstition  gives  way  to  reason  men  learn  more  and  more 
of  that  stereotyped  phrase  "the  fatherhood  of  God  and  brotherhood 
of  man."  Societies  now  take  root  and  grow  founded  solely  upon  the 
fraternal  side  of  man's  nature.  Without  contingent  or  sinking  fund, 
they  pay  thousands  of  dollars  to  friends  of  deceased  members  with 
even  more  promptness  and  certainty  than  that  of  ordinary  business 
firms.  And  these  fraternal  organizations  are  not  alone  confined  to 
the  male  portion  of  society.  Women  are  organizing  on  an  equal 
basis  with  the  men  and  are  paying  money  into  benefit  funds,  to  be 
used  in  evening  up  the  home  comforts  of  the  abodes  of  sickness  and 
death  with  that  of  their  own.  It  has  long  been  held  that  women 
were  a  failure  as  organizers,  not  possessing  the  requisites  by  nature. 
But  be  this  as  it  may  they  have  ever  been  accredited  with  a  desire  to 
know  all  the  secrets,  and  a  little  incident  connected  with  the  early 
history  of  our  city  may  be  cited  here  : — 

To  Ward  Six  belongs  the  honor  of  convening  the  first  secret  society 
meeting  held  in  the  city  limits.  There  were  a  few  masons  living  on  the 
original  territory,  then  Andover.  ,  This  territory  had  been  known  for 
a  hundred  years  as  the  "Moose  Country."  There  were  not  over  a 
dozen  buildings  in  what  is  now  Ward  Six.  There  were  the  four 
houses  that  stood,  on  the  corner  of  Broadway  and  Andover  streets, 
viz. :  the  Webster  House,  the  Saunders  house,  Plumley  house,  and 
the  house  now  occupied  by  Mr.  Bunker. 

On  the  Lowell  road,  about  forty  rods  west  of  the  Turnpike  were 
two  houses  owned  respectively  by  Mr.  Caleb  Richardson  and  Theo- 
dore Poor,  and  half  a  mile  further  west,  a  few  rods  apart,  the  house 
of  Theodore  Barnard  and  another  dwelling  house.  A  half  mile  be- 
yond this  was  the  house  of  Major  Benjamin  Stevens,  and  upon  the 
road  leading  to  West  Andover  was  the  house  of  Capt.  James  Stevens. 


D.    F.   ROBINSON, 

Manufacturer  of  Machine  Card  Clothing,  620  Essex  St.  Residence, 
268  Haverhill  St.  Came  to  Lawrence  in  April,  1847.  Born  at  Fre- 
mont, N.  H.,  Dec.  1829.  Commenced  business  April,  1857,  and  has 
continued  it  until  the  present  time.  Married  Eliza  Ann  Norris,  1851  ; 
and  has  one  child.  Is  connected  with  the  Second  Baptist  Church, 
and  is  superintendent  of  its  Sunday  School.  Was  a  member  of  the 
common  council  in  1866.  For  many  years  leader  of  the  Lawrence 
Brass  Band. 


HISTORY   OF   LAWRENCE,    MASS.  145 

In  the  extreme  southwest  part  of  the  ward  was  the  house  of  Mr. 
Goldsmith,  and  on  a  road  leading  from  Frye  Village  to  what  is  now 
North  Andover,  was  a  house  known  far  and  near  as  the  "White  Dog 
House,"  so  called  from  the  fact  that  in  early  days  no  rum  was  allowed 
to  be  sold  in  Andover,  and  to  evade  the  law,  the  proprietors  of  this 
house  procured  two  diminutive  white  lap  dogs,  and  charged  for  show- 
ing the  dogs,  throwing  the  "blackstrap"  in.  The  thirsty  very  cheer- 
fully paid  for  seeing  the  dogs,  and  tradition  has  it,  that  they  just  as 
cheerfully  accepted  the  accompanying  bonus.  West  of  Turnpike,  a 
little  distance  south  of  the  Lowell  road,  was  the  Moses  Town's  house. 
A  part  of  the  chambers  of  this  house  were  used  by  St.  Mathew  Lodge 
of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  as  a  Lodge  room,  and  in  order  to 
make  an  ante-room,  quilts  were  hung  across  the  room,  thus  partition- 
ing it  off.  Mr.  Town's  servant  girl  being  like  her  mother  Eve,  blessed 
with  an  inordinate  curiosity,  one  evening  secreted  herself  behind  the 
quilts,  in  order,  if  possible,  to  obtain  the  secrets  of  the  order.  In 
this  position  she  was  discovered  by  the  Tyler,  and  it  is  borne  upon 
the  archives  of  the  Lodge  that  the  damsel  made  but  three  steps  from 
her  place  of  concealment  to  the  bottom  of  the  stairs,  and  she  shunned 
the  company  of  Free  Masons  for  ever  after.  This  was  the  first  Ma- 
sonic Lodge  room  in  what  is  now  Lawrence. 

Though  women  are  still  precluded  from  the  secrets  of  Masonry 
the  Order  ranks  first  as  a  secret  one,  its  age  if  nothing  else  giving  it 
priorty. 

Grecian  Lodge,  the  oldest  Lodge  in  the  city  dates  from  the  i4th  of 
December,  1825.  It  was  started  in  Methuen.  In  1838  the  charter 
was  surrendered,  to  be  re-organized  in  this  city  in  1847.  The  semi- 
centennial was  observed  in  1875,  an^  tne  historian  was  Charles  H. 
Littlefield.  The  present  officers  are  M.  M.  Chandler,  Master ;  Chas. 
H.  Littlefield,  Secretary ;  J.  R.  Simpson,  Treasurer. 

Tuscan  Lodge  commenced  work  December  29th,  1862.  The  fol- 
lowing May  a  charter  was  granted,  and  it  has  continued  successful 


146  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

and  prosperous  since  that  time.  Wm.  Fisher,  Master ;  Frank  O. 
Kendall,  Secretary  ;  Rufus  Reed,  Treasurer. 

Phoenician  Lodge  was  instituted  November  5th,  1870,  and  has 
been  quite  successful  in  making  new  members.  The  present  officers 
are,  Andrew  C.  Stone,  Master ;  C.  H.  Moore,  Secretary ;  S.  M. 
Stedman,  Treasurer. 

There  are  three  organized  bodies  in  the  higher  order  of  Masonry. 
The  Council  was  chartered  in  1868.  Mt.  Sinai  Royal  Arch  Chapter 
was  chartered  October,  1867,  and  Bethany  Commandery  Knights 
Templar  in  1864.  The  whole  number  belonging  to  the  Masonic 
Order  in  the  city  is  over  800. 

ODD    FELLOWS. 

Another  powerful  secret  Order  is  the  Odd  Fellows.  They  also 
number  in  the  city  about  800  members,  having  three  subordinate 
Lodges  and  two  Encampments.  The  cardinal  principles  of  the 
Order  are  Friendship,  Love  and  Truth,  and  a  feature  of  the  benefi- 
ciary part  of  the  Order  is  that  the  Lodges  pay  to  sick  members 
weekly  benefits,  not  as  a  charity  but  as  a  right,  quarterly  dues  being 
assessed  upon  the  membership  to  keep  the  fund  good.  They  take 
the  name  of  Odd  Fellows  because  it  was  odd  at  the  time  the 
Order  was  started  sixty  years  ago,  for  men  to  band  themselves  to- 
gether for  such  a  work  of  love.  The  basis  upon  which  the  Indepen- 
dent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  is  founded  is  peculiarly  American,  though 
Orders  by  the  same  name  have  had  an  existence  in  the  Old  World. 
Odd  Fellowship  was  comparatively  new  in  this  countiy  in  1845-46, 
though  many  comers  to  the  new  city  had  been  initiated,  into  the 
mystic  tie. 

In  1847  United  Brothers  Lodge  was  established,  but  owing  to  an 
expose  of  the  work  shortly  after,  and  a  general  distrust  about  that  time 
against  all  secret  societies,  for  several  years  few  new  members  were 


HISTORY  OF  LAWRENCE,  MASS. 


'47 


ODD    FELLOWS    BUILDING. 


148  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

added.  Ten  years  later  its  beneficent  workings  became  more  and 
more  visible,  old  prejudices  softened  and  there  has  been  a  steady 
stream  of  slow  but  healthy  additions  ever  since.  Three  years  ago 
the  members  erected  the  fine  building  corner  of  Essex  and  Lawrence 
streets  for  their  especial  use,  and  it  is  a  monument  for  the  stability 
and  strength  of  the  Order.  The  first  story  is  used  for  stores,  the 
second  for  the  Public  Library,  and  the  upper  portion  for  Lodges  and 
Encampments.  Officers  United  Brothers  Lodge,  Thomas  Hadfield, 
N.  G.  j  J.  O.  Battershill,  Secretary  :  A.  H.  Poulson,  Treasurer.  Num- 
of  members,  330. 

Monadnock  Lodge  was  instituted  in  1867,  with  fifteen  charter 
members.  It  has  had  a  prosperous  career  throughout.  A  ten  years' 
history  of  this  Lodge  has  been  published  this  season  making  a  hand- 
some volume,  compiled  by  C.  B.  Smith,  a  P.  G.  of  the  Lodge.  The 
officers  are  Wm.  K.  Foster,  N.  G. ;  H.  M.  Chadwick,  Secretary ; 
Wm.  F.  Birtwell,  Treasurer.  It  has  267  members. 

Lawrence  Lodge  was  instituted  in  1869.  It  has  had  a  steady  and 
healthy  growth  since  its  organization.  The  officers  are  James  Pat- 
terson, N.  G. ;  John  Edwards,  Secretary ;  L.  H.  Benson,  Treasurer. 
Membership  201. 

There  are  two  Encampments,  higher  branches  of  Odd  Fellowship. 
These  are  the  Kearsarge  and  Lawrence,  there  being  about  200  mem- 
bers in  the  city  that  have  taken  the  patriarchal  degree. 

The  Knights  of  Pythias  is  a  secret  Order  having  for  its  object  the 
care  of  sick  and  distressed  brothers,  and  they  also  have  an  additional 
degree,  recently  adopted,  whereby  a  certain  sum,  one,  two  or  three 
thousand  dollars  is  paid  to  relatives  of  deceased  members  as  they 
may  elect  at  the  time  of  taking  the  degree.  Quindaro  Lodge  has  a 
membership  of  100,  being  chartered  in  1870.  The  officers  are, 
Amos  Southwick,  C.  C. ;  G.  H.  Robinson,  V.  C. ;  H.  F.  Hildreth, 
Keeper  of  Records  and  Seal. 


WILLIAM   WALLACE   COLBY, 

Undertaker.  Place  of  business  at  286  Common  St. ;  residence,  254 
Jackson  St.  Has  been  in  Lawrence  since  November,  1849.  Was 
born  in  Eaton,  (now  Madison)  N.  H.  Received  a  common  school 
education,  spending  his  early  life  on  a  farm.  Married  Elizabeth  A. 
F.  George,  Nov.  26,  1840  ;  has  nine  children.  Attends  the  Free  Bap- 
tist church,  and  has  been  deacon  since  1849.  Commenced  business 
at  Haverhill,  manufacturing  shoes,  1838-1849.  Came  to  Lawrence 
in  the  latter  year,  and  worked  at  manufacturing  sash  and  blinds  for 
several  years.  Mr.  Colby  was  a  member  of  the  common  council  for 
1864-5.  Superintendent  of  cemetery,  1871-2,  and  for  the  past  four 
years  has  been  in  the  furnishing  and  undertaker's  business. 


HISTORY    OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  149 

In  1875,  Merrimack  Lodge,  Knights  of  Honor,  was  instituted. 
This  was  the  first  secret  Order  that  had  insurance  as  a  chief  pillar. 
Each  member  in  this  Order  upon  taking  the  third  degree  is  assessed 
a  certain  sum  to  assist  in  forming  a  benefit  fund  to  be  used  to  the 
extent  of  paying  $2,000  at  the  death  of  each  member.  This  fund 
created  by  all  the  subordinate  Lodges  is  managed  by  the  Supreme 
Treasurer,  who  has  jurisdiction  over  the  Lodges  throughout  the  coun- 
try. The  officers  of  Merrimack  Lodge  are  T.  F.  Tucker,  Dictator ; 
H.  A.  Harris,  Reporter;  N.  H.  Berry,  Treasurer.  Membership,  180. 
The  plan  worked  so  admirably  that  a  second  Lodge  of  the  Knights 
of  Honor  was  instituted  in  the  spring  of  1877.  ^  was  given  the 
name  of  Adelphic  Lodge  and  has  at  present  a  membership  of  125. 
The  Officers  are  D.  M.  Spooner,  Dictator ;  A.  C.  Curtis,  Reporter ; 
C.  F.  Crocker,  Treasurer. 

Another  Order  of  a  similar  nature  was  started  in  this  city  the  pres- 
ent year  managing  an  insurance  fund  the  same  as  the  Knights  of 
Honor,  known  as  Knights  of  the  Golden  Cross.  Women  are  admit- 
ted on  equal  terms  with  males  and  though  a  few  months  since  organ- 
ization it  has  a  membership  in  the  city  of  about  300.  The  officers 
of  Olive  Commandery  are  H.  A.  Wadsvvorth,  Commander;  A.  J. 
French,  Treasurer. 

The  Royal  Arcanum  is  still  another  Order  that  pays  $3,000  upon 
the  death  of  any  member  and  the  fund  is  created  by  assessments 
when  the  treasury  runs  low.  The  officers  of  Lawrence  Council  are 
C.  A.  Metcalf,  Commander;  N.  H.  Berry  Treasurer.  Members,  100. 
There  are  also  in  the  city  two  Lodges  of  Forresters,  two  of  the 
Ancient  Order  of  Shepherds,  one  of  Orangemen,  and  several  tem- 
perance organizations  that  are  secret  to  the  extent  of  admitting  none 
bnt  members  to  regular  meetings,  and  are  founded  upon  the  princi- 
ples of  mutual  relief  and  assistance. 


XIV 

MINOR  INDUSTRIES— CORPORATE  AND    IN- 
CORPORATE. 


ARCHIBALD   WHEEL   COMPANY. 

This  corporation  has  a  history  dating  from  1871.  It  was  formed 
For  the  manufacture  of  iron  hubbed  wheels  for  express,  truck  and 
team  wagons,  carts,  portable  engines,  steam  fire  engines  and  hose 
carriages,  by  the  Archibald  Patent  Press  Process.  These  wheels  have 
been  adopted  by  the  largest  and  best  known  manufacturers  of  wagons 
and  steam  fire  engines  in  the  United  States,  and  also  by  the  govern- 
ment in  quartermaster  and  ordinance  wagons,  after  years  of  severe 
and  patient  trial  in  competition  with  all  other  wheels  known.  At  this 
establishment  the  lumber  is  sawed  from  the  log,  planed  and  formed 
into  spokes  and  felloes,  and  before  use,  is  piled  in  the  store  house,  80 
by  60  feet  in  dimensions,  where  it  is  allowed  to  remain  and  season 
from  eighteen  months  to  two  years  before  put  to  use.  The  buildings 
of  the  company  are  three  in  number,  the  main  workshop  100  by  45 
feet,  the  store-house  and  boiler-house.  The  capital  stock  of  the  com' 
pany  is  $60,000,  and  when  run  to  its  fullest  capacity  the  works  furnish 
employment  to  twenty  persons.  The  officers  of  the  corporation  are  : 
J.  C.  Hoadley,  President ;  Hezekiah  Plummer,  Treasurer  ;  and  E.  A. 
Archibald,  Superintendent. 

150 


EBEN    EDWARDS   FOSTER, 

Boot  and  Shoe  Dealer  at  26  So.  Broadway.  Residence,  19  Farnham 
St.,  South  Lawrence.  Has  been  a  resident  twenty-three  years.  Born 
in  Windham,  N.  H.,  Feb.  15,  1827.  His  father  being  a  manufacturer 
of  leather  and  leather  goods,  Mr.  Foster  naturally  became  connected 
at  an  early  age  with  the  same  business,  and  has  followed  it  nearly  all 
his  life.  Educated  in  the  public  schools  and  academy  at  Manchester, 
N.  H.,  he  early  developed  mechanical  talent,  choosing  the  manufac- 
ture and  sale  of  leather  goods  ;  during  the  war  was  successful.  Has 
a  good  business  record,  always  paying  one  hundred  cents  on  a  dollar. 
Married  Miss  M.  A.  Stearns,  Aug.  26,  1849,  for  his  first  wife,  who  died 
in  1876  ;  his  second  wife  is  Mrs.  A.  L.  Hamilton  ;  has  three  daughters. 
Is  connected  with  the  South  Congregational  Church.  Has  been  a 
deacon  in  both  the  Eliot  and  Central  Congregational  churches.  In  1 866 
built  the  large  manufactory  at  the  corner  of  Methuen  and  Franklin  Sts., 
letting  power  for  mechanical  purposes. 


QUARTER-CENTENNIAL   HISTORY   OF   LAWRENCE,    MASS.  151 

MCKAY   SEWING   MACHINE   ASSOCIATION. 

This  Association  was  formed  in  1864,  and  purchased  the  lot  of 
land,  45,157  square  feet,  upon  which  the  manufactory  now  stands. 
A  main  building,  three  stories  high,  brick,  152  feet  long  by  40  wide, 
an  L,  one  story  in  height,  147  by  40  feet,  and  a  fire  proof  building 
for  the  preservation  of  model  machines,  gauges  and  special  tools,  in 
dimensions  17  by  25  feet,  were  then  erected,  and  operations  were 
commenced  in  1865.  Since  that  time,  the  business  having  steadily 
increased,  an  additional  L,  three  stories  in  height  and  17  by  25  feet, 
has  been  erected.  The  Association  new  employs  175  workmen  in 
the  manufacture  of  McKay  sewing  machines  for  shoes,  McKay  & 
Bigelow  heeling  machines,  McKay  metallic  fastening  standard  screw 
machines,  Goodyear  &  McKay  sewing  machine  and  McKay  channel- 
lers.  None  of  these  machines  are  sold,  but  are  leased  upon  royalty, 
and  their  revenue  is  rapidly  increasing.  Mr.  Thomas  Scott  is  Super- 
intendent of  the  works.  In  1877  the  Association  disposed  of  298 
McKay  sewing  machines,  149  McKay  channelers,  140  McKay  & 
Bigelow  heeling  machines,  79  metallic  fastening  screw  machines,  and 
56  Goodyear  &  McKay  sewing  machines. 

LAWRENCE    GAS    COMPANY. 
i 

In  1847  the  Bay  State  and  Atlantic  Mills  and  the  Essex  Company 
were  formed  into  an  association  and  erected  suitable  buildings  for  the 
manufacture  of  gas  for  their  own  use.  In  1849  the  association  dis- 
banded, and  a  stock  company,  known  as  the  Lawrence  Gas  Company, 
was  formed,  and  February  i4th,  1849,  secured  an  act  of  incorpora- 
tion. The  capital  at  this  time  was  $40,000,  and  the  company  began 
lighting  the  -streets  and  introducing  their  pipes  into  private  residences. 
Gradually  since  that  time  the  capital  has  been  increased,  additional 
buildings  erected,  and  pipes  laid  until  now  hardly  an  accepted  street 
in  the  city  which  has  not  a  number  of  street  lamps  burning  gas.  The 


152  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

capital  at  the  present  time  is  $400,000.  There  have  been  laid  since 
1849,  twenty-nine  miles  of  main  pipe,  17  miles  of  service,  and  2100 
metres  set.  The  officers  of  the  corporation  are,  J.  J.  Storrow,  Presi- 
dent ;  Gardner  P.  Gates,  Treasurer ;  Geo.  D.  Cabot,  Agent ;  A.  C- 
Tenney,  Clerk. 

RUSSELL   PAPER   COMPANY. 

This  corporation  was  organized  in  April,  1864,  with  a  capital  of 
$100,000.  Here  is  manufactured  writing,  book  and  manilla  papers, 
in  all  of  which  the  company  has  been  very  fortunate,  and  have  ac- 
chieved  marked  success.  The  mill  property  constitutes  four  large 
buildings  with  the  latest  improved  machinery.  Two  hundred  and 
fifty  persons  are  employed  here,  and  ten  tons  of  paper,  on  an  aver- 
age, are  manufactured  daily.  The  officers  are,  William  A.  Russell, 
Treasurer,  and  George  W.  Russell,  Superintendent. 

FLYER  AND   SPINDLE   WORKS. 

In  1862,  what  is  now  known  as  the  Lawrence  Flyer  and  Spindle 
Works  were  started  at  the  lower  end  of  the  canal.  In  1867  a  stock 
company  was  formed  with  a  capital  of  $50,000,  and  these  works, 
which  for  five  years  previous  were  controlled  by  private  enterprise, 
became  the  property  of  a  corporation.  At  present  thirty  persons  are 
employed  here  in  the  manufacture  of  spinning  flyers,  spindles,  spin- 
dle tubes  and  mill  machinery.  The  officers  of  the  corporation  are, 
Joseph  P.  Battles,  Treasurer,  and  H.  P.  Chandler,  Agent. 

LAWRENCE   LUMBER   COMPANY. 

The  Lawrence  Lumber  Company  was  incorporated  in  1868,  with  a 
capital  of  $54,000.  The  business  is  the  manufacture  of  wooden 
boxes,  and  every  description  and  dimension  of  lumber.  Forty  per- 
sons are  in  the  employ  of  this  company.  This  company  does  more 


JOHN   WELLES    PORTER, 

Keeper  of  Livery  and  Sale  Stable,  corner  of  Lawrence  and  Methuen 
Sts.  Residence,  107  Garden  St.  Has  been  in  Lawrence  twenty-eight 
years.  Was  born  in  Lyman,  N.  H.,  June  i7th,  1833.  Married  Miss 
Adeline  A.  Moore  of  Andover,  Mass.,  Aug.  iyth,  1853  ;  has  one  son. 
Attends  Grace  church.  Has  been  in  the  stable  business  since  1860. 
Was  a  member  of  the  police  department  under  the  first  city  govern- 
ment, and  was  connected  with  that  department  for  several  years  as 
policeman  and  constable.  Was  city  marshal  in  '59,  '62  and  '63,  also 
assistant  mashal  for  several  years,  closing  his  official  service  \\ith  the 
year  1872. 


HISTORY   OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS. 


153 


than  a  mere  local  business,  sending  lumber  and  building  material  to 
all  parts  of  the  county.  The  annual  business  amounts  to  between 
two  and  three  hundred  thousand  dollars.  The  officers  are,  Morris 
Knowles,  President ;  Luther  Ladd,  Treasurer  and  Agent. 

NATIONAL  BANKS. 

Bay  State.  Incorporated,  1847.  Capital,  $375,000.  George  L. 
Davis,  President ;  Samuel  White,  Cashier. 

Pemberton.  Incorporated,  1854.  Capital,  $150,000.  L.  Sprague, 
President ;  J.  M.  Coburn,  Cashier. 

Lawrence.  Incorporated,  1872.  Capital,  $300,000.  A.  W.  Stearns, 
President ;  P.  G.  Pillsbury,  Cashier. 

Pacific.  Incorporated,  1877.  Capital,  $100,000.  J.  H.  Kidder, 
President ;  Wm.  H.  Jaquith,  Cashier. 

SAVINGS    BANKS. 

Essex.  Incorporated,  1847.  Joseph  Shattuck,  President;  James 
H.  Eaton,  Treasurer. 

Lawrence.  Incorporated,  1870.  Milton  Bonney,  President :  Wm. 
R.  Spalding,  Treasurer. 

Broadway.  Incorporated,  1872.  John  Fallon,  President;  Gil- 
bert E.  Hood,  Treasurer. 

RAILROADS. 

The  year  1848  brought  Lawrence  into  direct  connection  with  Bos- 
ton, Lowell  and  Salem.  Finding  that  there  was  to  be  a  city  here,  the 
managers  of  the  Boston  and  Maine  Railroad  changed  their  location 
between  Andover  and  North  Andover,  running  the  road  round  to 
South  Lawrence,  and  on  the  28th  of  February  the  road  ran  their  pas- 
senger trains  across  the  bridge  to  the  station  on  the  north  side  of  the 
river.  July  2d,  1848,  the  Lowell  and  Lawrence  ran  free  trains  and 


154  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

carried  over  8000  people.  The  Essex  Railroad  was  opened  from 
Lawrence  to  Salem,  September  4th,  1848  ;  the  Manchester  and  Law- 
rence road  was  opened  in  October,  1849.  Last  year  the  Lowell  and 
Lawrence  Railroad  obtained  permission  of  the  Railroad  Commis- 
sioners to  cross  the  Boston  and  Maine  tracks  at  grade  in  South  Law- 
rence, and  the  Mayor  and  Aldermen  granted  permission  to  the  road 
to  extend  its  tracks  across  the  river  and  through  the  Atlantic  yard  to 
Essex  street.  The  bridge  is  now  built.  The  Superior  Court  having 
enjoined  the  Lowell  and  Lawrence  road  from  taking  the  location  of 
the  Boston  and  Maine  at  South  Lawrence  to  come  in  on,  the  Leg- 
islature passed  a  special  act  on  the  request  of  the  Railroad  Com- 
missioners to  give  them  permission  to  adjust  the  difficulty. 

As  the  population  increased  the  need  of  a  Horse  Railroad  grew 
apparent,  and  in  1867  a  single  track  was  laid  from  Methuen  to  the 
Paper  Mills  in  Lawrence,  Subsequently  the  line  was  extended  to 
North  Andover,  and  in  1876  the  track  was  laid  to  South  Lawrence. 
The  latter  proved  to  be  the  best  of  the  line,  but  even  to  the  last  there 
were  found  stockholders  who  were  sure  it  would  not  pay.  This  year 
the  company  has  petitioned  the  Mayor  and  Aldermen  for  permission 
to  build  a  double  track  in  Essex  street.  The  President  of  the  cor- 
poration is  Wm.  A.  Russell ;  Treasurer,  James  H.  Eaton. 

Besides  the  corporate  bodies  to  which  Lawrence  is  indebted  largely 
for  its  growth,  there  have  sprung  up  within  the  past  twenty-five  years 
a  number  of  minor  manufactories,  controlled  by  private  individuals 
which  have  added  in  no  small  measure  to  the  material  prosperity  of 
the  city.  Among  these  are  the  following  : 

EXPRESSES. 

The  first  Boston  and  Lawrence  Express  was  that  of  Stevens  &  Ab- 
bott. In  July,  1851,  Mr.  Abbott  retired,  and  the  firm  was  Stevens  & 
White,  well  known  as  "Sam"  White.  In  March  1852,  White  retired 


HISTORY    OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  155 

and  was  followed  by  J.  A.  Stevens.  In  September,  1852,  Stevens 
was  succeeded  by  P.  B.  Putney.  In  December,  1852,  Mr.  Putney 
associated  with  himself  J.  George,  of  Concord,  N.  H.,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Putney  &  George.  The  latter  had  been  employed  by  the 
U.  S.  and  Canada  Express  and  brought  with  him  a  good  knowledge 
of  the  business.  The  firm  was  dissolved  by  the  death  of  Mr.  George, 
May  5th,  1869.  In  l87°  the  firm  of  Cogswell  &  Co.,  was  organized, 
Mr.  Cogswell  taking  Mr.  Lewis  Saunders  as  a  partner,  and  the  firm 
has  since  done  a  large  business.  In  1859  three  horses  did  the  entire 
work  of  the  firm.  They  now  employ  about  thirteen  horses,  and 
twenty-five  men. 

Messrs.  Abbott  &  Co.,  also  do  a  thriving  express  business,  running 
between  this  city  and  Boston,  also  to  Methuen.  The  business  of  this 
office  was  begun  about  twenty  years  ago  by  W.  F.  Cooper,  being 
succeeded  in  1871  by  J.  G.  Abbott.  It  requires  ten  men  and  five 
horses  to  do  the  work. 

E.  Davis  &  Son's  Iron  Foundry  has  been  operation  since  1863. 
The  buildings  connected  with  the  works  are  four  in  number,  and 
afford  capacity  for  the  employment  of  thirty  persons. 

H.  K.  Webster  &  Co.'s  Grain  Mill  was  built  in  1868,  and  at  present 
employs  eight  persons.  The  mill  is  1 20  by  30  feet,  and  connected 
with  the  mill  property  are  two  store  houses.  The  capacity  is  placed 
at  1 200  bushels  of  meal  per  day. 

Webster  &  Dustin,  Machinists,  have  been  in  business  at  their  pres- 
ent location,  Canal  street,  since  October,  1876.  They  now  employ 
twelve  persons,  and  manufacture  mill  machinery,  shafting,  pulleys, 
gearing,  etc. 

N.  W.  Farwell  &  Son's  Bleachery  is  one  of  the  new  enterprises 
which  have  sprung  up  at  South  Lawrence  during  the  past  year. 
Operations  in  dyeing  and  bleaching  were  commenced  January,  1878, 
and  at  present  the  works  give  employment  to  sixty  persons. 


156  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

The  Hosiery  Mill,  Canal  street,  until  recently  run  by  Carter  &  Wil- 
son, commenced  operations  in  1874.  Three  buildings  are  connected 
with  the  works  and  forty  persons  employed.  The  amount  of  pro- 
duction per  day,  is  on  an  average,  sixty  dozen,  the  value  of  which  Js 
estimated  at  $150. 

Carter  &  Rolan  employ  twelve  hands  in  wool  sorting  and  scouring 
for  out-of-town  dealers.  Annually  at  this  establishment  half  a  million 
pounds  of  wool  are  handled. 

F.  W.  McLanathan  begun  the  business  of  Roll  Covering  in  1874, 
and  at  present  employs  five  hands. 

George  A.  Furguson  started  in  Carriage  Manufacture  in  Lawrence 
in  1867.  Recently  he  erected  a  large  brick  building  on  Methuen 
street,  where  he  now  carries  on  the  business  and  employs  twelve 
tradesmen. 

Edward  Page,  "the  original  Belt  Manufacturer,"  is  one  of  the  pio- 
neers of  Lawrence,  starting  in  business  here  in  1846.  He  now 
employs  fifteen  hands. 

Stedman  &  Fuller  have  been  in  the  Card  Clothing  business  for  the 
past  quarter  of  a  century,  and  when  working  to  its  fullest  capacity 
the  establishment  gives  employment  to  a  dozen  workmen. 

Berry  &  Co.'s  U.  S,  Steam  Feed,  is  another  of  the  more  recent  en- 
terprises. By  a  lately  patented  apparatus  grain  is  dried,  cooked,  and 
ground  for  feed.  Five  workmen  are  employed  here. 

The  Broadway  Cracker  Bakery,  J.  H.  Nichols,  agent,  employs  eight 
persons  in  the  manufacture  of  all  kinds  of  crackers.  Two  hundred 
barrels  of  flour  are  used  here  monthly. 

James  W.  Joyce  has  been  engaged  in  Carriage  Manufacture  in 
Lawrence  for  the  past  twelve  years.  Twelve  persons  are  employed 
here. 

Butler's  File  Works  have  been  in  operation  since  1854,  now  em- 
ploy fifteen  hands,  and  the  productive  capacity  is  500  dozen  files  per 
month. 


MARK  MANAHAN, 

Grocer,  106  Broadway,  corner  Salem  street;  residence  corner  Salem 
and  Carver  streets.  Came  to  Lawrence  12  years  ago,  April  1866. 
Born  at  Deering,  Hillsboro',  Co.,  N.  H.  Worked  on  a  farm  in  early 
life  and  had  the  advantages  of  a  Common  and  High  School  educa- 
tion. Married  April  1865,  to  Emily  R.  Stiles,  of  Middleton,  Mass. 
Has  three  children.  Attends  South  Congregational  church.  Mr. 
Manahan  entered  into  partnership  with  his  brother  Harlan  D,  which 
still  continues  doing  business  under  the  firm  name  of  M.  &  H.  D. 
Manahan.  This  is  the  oldest  grocery  firm  now  doing  business  in 
South  Lawrence.  Was  a  member  of  the  Common  Council  in  1869 
and  1870,  and  at  present  is  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Overseers  of 
the  Poor. 


HISTORY    OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  157 

Robinson  &  Perkins,  Card  Clothing  manufacturers,  began  business 
in  Lawrence  in  1857,  and  now  employ  a  dozen  persons.  At  this 
establishment  from  8,000  to  10,000  sides  of  leather,  and  from  twenty 
to  twenty-five  tons  of  wire  are  used  annually.  The  annual  produc- 
tion is  from  fifty  to  sixty  thousand  feet  of  card  clothing. 

Williams  &  Willson,  Machinists,  commenced  in  Lawrence  fifteen 
years  ago  and  employ  fifteen  hands. 

J.  E.  Watts  began  in  1874  in  the  Brass  Foundry  Business.  To 
this  he  has  recently  added  the  manufacture  of  steam  and  water  regu- 
lators, of  which  he  is  the  inventor.  He  furnishes  employment  to  five 
persons. 

The  Merrimac  Iron  Foundry  has  been  operated  since  1854,  now 
employs  fifty  hands,  and  has  a  productive  capacity  of  150  tons  of 
castings  per  month. 

The  Lawrence  Flour  Mills,  Davis  &  Taylor  proprietors,  grind  annu- 
ally about  125,000  bushels  of  wheat,  turning  out  about  25,000  barrels 
of  flour.  About  250,000  bushels  grains  of  other  varieties  are  here 
ground  annually.  The  mill  has  been  in  operation  for  ten  years,  and 
furnishes  employment  to  twelve  persons. 

The  Berkley  Mills  were  moved  to  Lawrence  in  1873,  by  Mr.  Thos. 
Greenbank,  the  present  owner.  They  are  engaged  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  flannels  of  all  grades ;  employ  seventy-five  persons,  operate 
2800  spindles  and  fifty-seven  looms,  and  the  productive  capacity  is 
90,000  yards  of  flannel  per  month.  Annually  300,000  pounds  of 
wool  are  consumed  here. 

Alderman  Thomas  Clegg  began  the  business  of  Reed  and  Loom 
Harness  manufacturing  in  this  city  in  1852.  Recently  he  has  moved 
to  the  south  canal  where  he  has  added  the  manufacture  of  Leather 
Board  to  his  former  business.  Twenty-five  hands  are  employed  in  the 
manufacture  of  reeds  and  loom  harnesses,  and  fifteen  in  the  leather 
board  department.  Upwards  of  25,000  reeds  and  harnesses  are  pro- 
duced annually  at  this  establishment. 


158  QUARTER-CEXTEXXIAL 

B.  S.  Hale  &  Son,  since  1872  have  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
fish  line  and  patent  laid  cords  at  South  Lawrence.  They  now  employ 
eighteen  hands. 

Samuel  Carter  employs  twelve  workmen  in  jobbing  and  general 
machinery  repairs.  He  has  been  in  the  business  in  this  city  since 
1870. 

Butler  &  Robinson's  Yarn  Mill  has  been  in  operation  since  1863. 
At  this  mill  is  manufactured  worsted  yarns.  Has  5,000  spindles,  four 
sets  of  cards,  five  company  machines,  and  125  hands  are  employed. 

Josslyn  &  Webster's  Iron  Foundry  was  started  about  ten  years  ago. 
Twenty  persons  are  employed  here,  and  upwards  of  sixty  tons  of 
castings  are  turned  out  monthly.  Business  now  at  this  foundry  is 
quite  brisk. 

Hayden's  Leather  Board  Mill,  formerly  operated  by  George  E. 
Davis  has  now  been  leased  for  a  term  of  years  by  Allen,  Jones  &  Co., 
of  Boston,  manufacturers  of  wood  paper  pulp  and  leather  board. 
The  capacity  at  present  is  one  ton  of  leather  board  a  day.  Ten  per- 
sons are  now  employed  here.  The  mill  has  been  in  operation  under 
various  managements  the  greater  part  of  the  past  ten  years. 

What  is  now  known  as  Bacon's  Paper  Mill  was  formerly  the  prop- 
erty of  the  Lawrence  Paper  Company.  About  fifteen  years  ago  it 
was  purchased  at  auction  sale  by  Messrs.  James  S.  Monroe  and  J.  A. 
Bacon,  and  by  this  firm  operated  for  five  years.  Mr.  Bacon  then 
purchased  his  partner's  right,  and  rebuilt  the  mill,  adding  machinery 
and  making  other  improvements.  One  hundred  and  twenty  opera- 
tives now  manufacture,  on  an  average,  1 20  tons  of  paper  a  month. 
George  W.  Seaverns  is  Superintendent  of  the  mills. 

Sprague  &  Co.,  Bobbin  manufacturers,  have  been  in  the  business 
since  1862.  They  employ  no  hands  in  the  manufacture  of  bobbins 
and  spools  used  in  cotton  and  wool  factories. 

Arraington  &  Simms,  dealers  and  manufacturers  of  Portable  Steam 
Engines.  Employ  fifty  hands.  The  monthly  production  is  $10,000. 


HISTORY    OF   LAWRENCE,    MASS.  159 

Tower  &  Hadley's  Coffee  and  Spice  Mills,  have  been  in  operation 
since  1874.  They  furnish  employment  to  five  hands  and  do  a  yearly 
business  varying  from  $40,000  to  $50,000. 

Albert  Blood,  Machinist,  has  been  in  business  in  this  city  since 
1853.  By  the  purchase  of  additional  facilities  his  business  has  been 
greatly  increased  within  the  past  few  years.  He  now  employs  twenty 
hands. 

Beach's  Soap  Company  manufacture  extensively  the  celebrated 
Beach's  Washing  Soap,  doing  a  large  business  in  the  surrounding 
country.  Employ  twelve  hands  with  a  monthly  production  valued  at 
$7,000. 

Sargent's  Steam  Mill,  L.  D.  Sargent,  proprietor.  Boxes,  mould- 
ings, gutters,  and  house  finish,  planning,  etc.  Employs  twenty-three 
hands  and  produces  200,000  feet  monthly. 

T.  A.  Emmons  manufactures  Loom  Harnesses.  Employs  sixty 
hands  on  custom  work,  fiilling  orders  for  manufacturers  in  all  parts  of 
the  country. 

James  Byrom  manufactures  Brass  Castings  of  all  kinds.  Employs 
six  hands. 

Moses  B.  Ames  &  Co.,  Carriage  Manufacturers,  Lowell  street. 
This  is  the  oldest  carriage  repository  in  the  city.  John  Gale  was  the 
original  proprietor,  Mr.  Ames,  his  successor,  engaging  with  him  in 
the  business  fourteen  years  ago.  Mr.  Gale  retired  about  four  years 
ago.  There  are  twenty  men  employed. 

Stanley  &  Co.,  Brewers.  This  firm  bought  the  brewery  property 
on  Oxford  street  about  six  years  ago,  and  since  that  time  have  in- 
creased its  capacity  four  or  five  times.  Thirteen  men  were  then 
employed  at  the  establishment,  while  at  present  it  requires  sixty  men 
to  do  the  work.  The  product  is  stock  and  present  use  Ale  and  Lager 
Beer. 

Allen  Wilson,  Oak  street,  has  the  oldest  established  bakery  in  the 
city.  Employs  twelve  hands. 


XV. 
NOTABLE  EVENTS,  ETC. 


The  first  calamity  worthy  of  note  which  happened  in  the  city  was 
the  accident  at  the  dam  on  the  i2th  of  October,  1847.  At  the  time 
the  accident  occurred  about  300  feet  of  the  dam  on  the  south  side, 
and  100  feet  on  the  north  side  of  the  river  had  been  finished,  the 
water  meanwhile  running  over  the  unfinished  part.  The  unfinished 
space  was  about  500  feet  long,  and  it  became  necessary  to  shut  out 
the  water  from  this  by  a  coffer  dam.  The  timbers  of  the  coffer  dam 
were  all  in  position  and  braced,  as  was  supposed,  securely,  and  work- 
men were  engaged  in  putting  down  flash  boards.  Both  Mr.  L.  M. 
Wright,  who  had  charge  of  the  wood  work  of  the  dam,  and  Captain 
Bigelow  were  present  at  the  time  and  aiding,  in  all  confidence  as  to 
the  strength  of  the  structure,  in  putting  down  plank  after  plank.  In 
an  instant  that  portion  of  dam  upon  which  they  were  engaged,  rose 
upon  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  fifteen  men  were  swept,  amid  the 
broken  timbers,  by  the  rush  of  the  fearful  flood  upon  the  rocks  twen- 
ty-five feet  below.  Capt.  Bigelow  and  Mr.  Wright  were  in  a  scow, 
and  this  swayed  round  in  the  current  and  passed  over  the  dam. 
Just  as  she  was  making  the  plunge,  two  men  leaped  out  and  saved 
themselves  upon  that  portion  of  the  coffer  dam  which  remained  firm. 
Another  man  leaped  from  the  stern  of  the  boat  directly  into  the  fall- 
ing current  and  escaped  unhurt.  The  end  of  the  scow  plunged  with 


QUARTER-CENTENNIAL    HISTORY    OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  l6l 

terrible  force  upon  the  bed  rock,  sending  its  freight  of  men  and  tools 
with  great  velocity  in  the  river.  Capt.  Bigelow  came  very  near  losing 
his  life.  He  was  badly  injured,  and  was  only  saved  by  the  utmost 
exertions  of  Mr.  Wright.  Two  men  were  killed,  two  seriously  in- 
jured, and  three  slightly  injured.  At  the  time  of  this  accident  every 
nerve  was  being  exerted  to  raise  the  water  to  its  proper  level  to  sup- 
ply power  to  the  Bay  State  Mills,  then  nearly  completed  and  ready  in 
some  parts  for  the  machinery.  Every  person  was  looking  forward  to 
this  desirable  consummation  with  high  hopes  of  future  business,  and 
the  accident  therefore  felt  as  a  personal  as  much  as  a  public  calamity. 

The  heaviest  freshet  was  in  April,  1852,  when  the  highest  pitch  of 
water  was  ten  feet  upon  the  crest  of  the  dam.  This  freshet  washed 
out  the  abutment  of  the  bridge  and  carried  away  the  toll-house  on 
the  south  side  of  the  river.  The  water,  at  intervals,  reached  the 
wood  work  on  the  railroad  bridge.  The  alarm  in  the  city  in  antici- 
pation of  an  overflow  of  the  wing  walls  of  the  dam  was  very  great, 
and  so  imminent  was  the  danger  in  the  estimation  of  the  engineers 
of  the  Essex  Company,  that  a  train  of  cars  and  a  large  number  of 
teams  were  run  night  and  day  in  conveying  earth  for  an  embankment 
to  protect  the  town.  In  1863,  the  water  reached  nine  feet  or  within 
one  foot  of  great  flood. 

The  greatest  calamity  that  has  yet  befallen  Lawrence  was  the  fall 
of  the  Pemberton  Mill.  On  the  loth  of  January,  1860,  at  thirteen 
minutes  before  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  mill  fell  without  a 
moment's  warning.  The  building  was  five  stories  high,  eighty-four 
feet  wide,  and  two  hundred  and  eighty  feet  long.  The  first  story  was 
devoted  to  weaving,  the  second  to  carding,  the  third  to  spinning,  the 
fourth  to  carding,  spinning  and  drawing-in,  and  the  fifth  to  dressing, 
warping,  spooling,  winding  and  reeling.  About  seven  hundred  per- 
sons were  at  work  in  the  mill  when  it  fell.  Mr.  Chase,  the  agent, 
and  Mr.  Huse,  one  of  the  owners,  were  passing  through  the  spinning 
room  when  a  noise  was  heard,  the  mules  stopped,  and  the  building 


1 62  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL. 

was  seen  to  be  falling.  They  stepped  into  a  wing,  and  were  saved. 
One  hundred  persons  were  killed.  A  large  number  were  more  or 
less  injured,  some  of  them  for  life.  The  scene  after  the  fall  was  one 
of  indescribable  horror.  Hundreds  of  men,  women  and  children 
were  buried  in  the  ruins.  Many  of  them  assured  their  friends  they 
were  uninjured  but  imprisoned  by  the  timbers  about  them.  Others 
were  dead  or  dying.  Everybody  worked  as  hard  as  possible  to  re- 
lieve the  unfortunate  ones  till  nearly  ten  o'clock  at  night,  when  sad- 
dest of  all,  a  lantern  broke  and  set  the  ruins  on  fire.  In  a  few 
minutes  the  entire  mass  was  a  sheet  of  flames.  Fourteen  are  known 
to  have  perished  in  the  burning  mass.  The  cause  of  the  disaster  is 
not  known,  but  it  is  believed  that  there  was  a  defective  iron  pillar  in 
one  of  the  upper  rooms  at  the  south  end  of  the  mill. 

There  have  been  three  disturbances  of  the  public  peace,  two  of 
them  serious.  The  first  and  least  important  one  was  the  demolition 
of  the  "Black  House,"  a  low  resort  on  Water  street,  in  April,  1847. 
A  more  serious  disturbance  took  place  in  1854  between  the  Know 
Nothings  and  the  Irish.  It  was  reported  that  an  Oak  street  Irishman 
had  raised  the  American  flag,  union  down.  The  anti-foreigners 
paraded  the  streets  with  bands  and  banners  in  the  evening.  On 
Common  street,  between  Jackson  and  Newbury  streets,  the  opposing 
forces  met,  when  fists,  stones,  and  even  pistols  were  used.  Fortu- 
nately, no  one  was  killed  though  the  house  of  the  man  who  was  said 
to  have  raised  the  flag  was  badly  damaged.  The  city  subsequently 
paid  the  bill. 

The  next  and  last  riotous  demonstration  thus  far,  occurred  in  1875, 
on  the  1 2th  of  July.  On  that  day,  the  anniversary  of  the  battle  of 
Boyne,  was  celebrated  by  the  Orangemen  of  Lawrence  by  a  pic-nic 
at  Laurel  Grove,  in  which  they  were  joined  by  delegations  from 
Lowell,  VVoburn,  and  Arlington.  The  Orangemen  had  been  to  the 
grove,  the  visiting  lodges  had  been  taken  to  Lowell  by  the  steamer 


CHASE    PHILBRICK, 

State  Detective.  Office,  Schaake's  Building ;  residence,  1 38  Broadway. 
Has  been  in  Lawrence  since  1863.  Born  at  Sanbornton,  N.  H.  1823. 
Received  a  common  school  education  and  learned  the  stone  cutter's 
trade,  at  which  he  worked  till  1861.  Was  married  in  1856  ;  has  three 
children.  Enlisted  as  captain,  in  1861,  in  the  i5th  Mass.  Reg't,  and 
was  promoted  to  major,  May,  1862  ;  to  lieutenant-colonel,  Nov.,  1862  ; 
discharged  for  disability,  April;  1863.  Was  with  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  in  the  Peninsula  Campaign  and  the  battles  of  Ball  Bluff, 
Second  Bull  Run,  Anteitam  and  Fredericksburg.  Col.  Philbrick  was 
City  Marshal  in  1864,  1865,  1866,  1867,  1868,  1869,  1870,  1872  and 
1873  ;  Street  Commissioner,  1871  ;  State  Constable,  1874  and  1875  ; 
State  Detective,  1876,  1877  and  1878. 


HISTORY    OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  163 

City  of  Lawrence,  and  the  steamer  at  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
returned  to  this  city  with  the  Orangemen  belonging  here.  At  the 
Water  street  landing  several  hundred  persons  were  assembled,  and 
their  jeers  and  words  of  derision  indicated  that  there  might  be  trou- 
ble. The  Orangemen  started  down  Essex  street,  not  in  procession. 
Some  stones  were  thrown  soon  after  leaving  the  boat,  and  near  the 
Essex  House  somebody  tore  a  regalia  from  one  of  the  picnicers. 
The  Orangemen  flourished  their  pistols,  and  loud  talk  was  heard  on 
both  sides.  The  Orangemen  who  had  on  their  regalias  sought  shelter 
in  the  station  house,  and  Mayor  Tev>  ..sbury  was  sent  for.  The  latter 
told  the  crowd  that  there  must  be  order,  and  that  every  man  would 
be  protected  in  his  rights.  Two  men  hissed  the  Mayor  and  were 
arrested.  The  Mayor  started  into  the  streets  with  an  escort  of  police 
consisting  of  officers  Gammell,  Dyson,  Floyd  and  Corliss.  Stones 
were  thrown,  Corliss  and  Dyson  being  hit.  The  Mayor  and  his  escort 
kept  on,  the  crowd  growing  more  and  more  excited.  Somebody  in 
the  crowd  fired  a  pistol.  The  officers  fired  in  return.  About  a 
dozen  shots  in  all  were  fired.  Arriving  at  the  house  of  the  com- 
mander of  the  Lodge,  J.  H.  Spinlow,  71  Prospect  street,  a  guard  was 
stationed  there  and  no  further  disturbance  took  place.  Several  per- 
sons were  slightly  injured.  Since  that  time  the  Orangemen  have 
paraded  here,  but  met  with  no  opposition. 

THE   CITY'S    GROWTH. 

Population. 

1845 (estimated,)        150 

1855 16,084 

!865 2I>723 

1875 34,9'6 

1878 (estimated,)  39,000 


164  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

Valuation. 

1847 $2,292,372 

1850 5,577,944 

1855 9,954,041 

1860 10,586,023 

1865 12,683,273 

1870 17,912,500 

1877 23,902,537 

City  Debt. 

1847 $15,000 

1850 98,325 

l855 137,5°° 

1860 172-233 

1865 283,450 

1870 413,889 

1875 485,028 

1877  (excluding  water  loan) 382,585 

THE    STREETS. 

The  streets  of  Lawrence  are  generally  fifty  feet  wide.  Essex  street 
is  eighty,  Broadway  sixty-six,  Canal,  Jackson,  Appleton,  Common 
and  Haverhill,  from  Broadway  to  Spring  street,  sixty  feet ;  Mechanic 
street  is  only  forty  feet.  The  highest  elevation  between  Broadway 
and  the  Spicket  is  at  the  corner  of  Cross  and  Franklin  streets  which 
is  seventy-five  feet  above  the  Essex  Company's  base  line.  At  the 
corner  of  Essex  and  Lawrence  streets  it  is  thirty-eight  feet  above  that 
line,  and  four  feet  higher  than  the  crest  of  the  dam. 

OLD  RESIDENTS'  ASSOCIATION. 

In  order  to  preserve  the  facts  pertaining  to  the  history  of  Lawrence, 
an  Old  Residents'  Association  was  formed  December  22d,  1877,  as 


HISTORY    OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  165 

follows  :  President,  Daniel  Saunders ;  Vice  President,  Robert  H. 
Tewksbury  ;  Executive  Committee,  VV.  H.  P.  Wright,  William  R. 
Pedrick,  Nathaniel  Ambrose,  Nathan  W.  Harmon,  Patrick  Sweeney, 
Dr.  Aaron  Ordway,  Mrs.  Caroline  L.  Bartlett,  Mrs.  Abbie  A.  Wilcox, 
Mrs.  Uretta  E.  McAllister,  Mrs.  Caroline  E.  Fay,  Miss  Katharine  A. 
O'Keeffe,  Miss  Francis  Paul ;  Historian,  John  R.  Rollins. 

THE    PIONEERS. 

Of  the  settlers  in  Lawrence  during  the  early  months  of  its  history, 
few  remain  ;  during  the  first  ten  years  of  its  existence  hardly  any  one 
came  here  with  a  purpose  of  making  it  a  permanent  settlement ; 
its  growth  from  the  desert  had  been  so  sudden,  so  mushroom-like  ; 
everywhere  reigned  such  supreme  disorder  and  incompleteness  that 
it  presented  few  attractions  other  than  the  advantages  of  its  busy, 
bustling  thrift  and  business  opportunities ;  within  the  past  half  score 
of  years  this  has  changed  ;  the  character  and  permanence  of  a  city 
established,  its  growth  and  future  assured,  it  has  become  a  place  of 
homes  instead  of  stopping  places,  and  the  former  ever  shifting  char- 
acter of  its  population  is  solidified  into  a  permanence  and  stability 
eminently  gratifying.  But  of  the  immigrants  of  1845  to  I848,  very 
few  remain  ;  of  a  dozen  resident  physicians  in  1848.  only  three,  Drs. 
Wm.  D.  Lamb,  Isaac  Tewksbury,  and  David  Dana,  now  remain  here 
in  practice,  although  Dr.  Blanchard,  for  some  years  absent,  has  since 
returned,  engaging  in  business  pursuits.  Of  an  equal  number  of 
attorneys,  only  three,  Daniel  Saunders,  Jr.,  Thomas  A.  Parsons  and 
Ivan  Stevens,  remain,  and  not  a  single  clergyman ;  of  the  merchants, 
less  than  a  dozen,  and  of  the  entire  population,  not  above  a  hundred 
are  now  resident  in  the  city. 


XVI. 
LAWRENCE  IN  THE   REBELLION. 


*  The  first  meeting  of  the  City  Council,  to  act  upon  matters  con- 
nected with  the  war,  was  a  special  meeting  held  April  i6th,  1861,  at 
which  the  following  preamble  and  resolutions  were  adopted  : — 

Whereas  the  President  of  the  United  States,  in  view  of  the  dan- 
gerous Rebellion  now  existing  in  several  of  the  Federal  States,  threat- 
ening alike  the  security  and  liberty  of  our  homes,  has  seen  fit  to  make 
a  requisition  upon  the  Governor  of  this  Commonwealth  for  a  certain 
number  of  troops  to  assist  in  quelling  said  Rebellion  ;  and  as  the  two 
military  companies  of  Lawrence  comprise  a  portion  of  the  Sixth 
Regiment  of  militia  who,  in  obedience  to  said  requisition,  are  now  on 
their  way  to  report  themselves  at  headquarters  ;  therefore  be  it 

Resolved,  By  the  city  of  Lawrence,  that  the  sum  of  five  thousand 
dollars  be,  and  hereby  is,  appropriated,  to  be  used  in  case  of  need,  to 
provide  for  the  wants  of  those  who  comprise  these  companies,  or 
their  families. 

Five  thousand  dollars  additional  were  appropriated  for  the  same 
purpose,  May  i6th,  and  in  October  following  another  appropriation 
of  three  thousand  dollars  was  made. 

On  the  1 8th  of  April  a  petition  of  Daniel  Saunders,  Jr.,  and  others, 
was  presented  to  the  City  Council,  asking  an  appropriation  for  the 

*Schouler's  History. 

166 


MELVIN    BEAL, 

Mechanic;  residence,  213  Broadway.  Has  been  in  Lawrence  nearly 
twenty-six  years.  Born  at  Guilford,  Me.,  Oct.  31,  1832.  Attended 
the  common  school  and  worked  on  a  farm  until  sixteen.  Married 
Emily  M.  Goodhue  of  Salem,  N.  H.,  Nov.  9,  1853  ;  has  one  son.  At- 
tends the  Universalist  church.  Left  Maine  in  1850,  going  to  Pelham, 
N.  H.,  and  working  at  carding  and  spinning  in  a  woolen  mill  until 
Oct.  1852,  when  he  came  to  Lawrence  and  worked  in  the  Bay  State 
Mill  as  spinner  and  second  hand  of  spinning  till  1856,  when  he  went 
painting,  which  he  followed  when  not  in  the  army  till  1866,  when  he- 
was  appointed  State  Constable,  which  position  he  held  for  nine  years. 
Councilman  for  Ward  I,  1866  ;  two  years  assistant  and  two  years  chief 
engineer  of  fire  department ;  20  years  a  fireman.  Representative  from 
2ist  District  in  the  legislature,  1878,  and  was  a  member  of  the  mili- 
ary  committee.  Colonel  of  6th  Regt.  M.  V.  M.  For  full  military 
record  see  history  of  regiment. 


QUARTER-CENTENNIAL    HISTORY    OF    I.AWRENCK,    M  \-».  167 

purpose  of  equipping  a  regiment  of  volunteer  militia ;  and  five  thou- 
sand dollars  were  appropriated  for  that  purpose.  At  the  same  meet- 
ing the  Mayor  was  requested  to  cause  the  national  flag  to  be  raised 
upon  the  flagstaff  on  Lawrence  Common,  "there  to  remain  as  a  per- 
manent evidence  of  our  devotion  to  our  country."  April  24th,  fif- 
teen hundred  dollars  were  appropriated  "  for  the  purchase  of  flannels 
and  other  materials  asked  for  by  the  Ladies'  Soldiers'  Aid  Society  of 
Lawrence,"  to  be  made  into  articles  for  the  use  of  the  volunteers. 

On  the  receipt  of  the  news  of  the  death  of  Sumner  Henry  Need- 
ham,  who  fell  in  Baltimore  on  the  memorable  igth  of  April,  and 
whose  name  has  become  historical  as  one  of  the  first  martyrs  of  the 
Rebellion,  the  following  resolutions  were  passed  by  both  branches  of 
the  City  Government : — 

Resolved,  That  to  the  afflicted  relatives  and  friends  of  the  dear 
departed,  in  this  hour  of  their  deep  heart  grief,  we  extend  our  ten 
derest  sympathies  ;  and,  while  we  would  not  invade  the  sanctity  of 
their  sorrow,  his  loss  to  us,  as  a  community,  a  people,  and  a  natron, 
and  the  remembrance  of  the  noble  patriotism  and  holy  devotion  in. 
spiring  the  mission  in  which  he  has  fallen,  throws  upon  our  hearts  the 
same  cloud  of  sadness,  and  unites  our  grief  to  theirs. 

Resolved,  That  in  respect  to  the  memory  of  the  deceased  this  City 
Government  will  attend  the  funeral  in  a  body ;  that  we  invite  our 
fellow-citizens  generally  to  join  in  paying  a  last  tribute  of  respect  to 
the  departed,  and  we  recommend  the  closing  of  all  places  of  business 
in  our  city  on  the  occasion  of  his  interment.* 

The  city  of  Lawrence  continued  its  activity  in  behalf  of  the  great 
cause  until  the  end  of  the  war,  making  liberal  appropriations  of 
money  to  encourage  recruiting,  and  for  the  payment  of  State  aid  to 
the  families  of  volunteers,  for  which  a  special  agent  of  the  city  was 

"  Mr.  Tewksbury,  the  City  Treasurer,  writes  :  "  In  accordance  with  the  resolve*,  the  City 
Government  attended  the  funeral  in  a  body,  with  distinguished  State  officials,  and  a  count- 
less throng  of  citizens.  He  was  buried  from  the  City  Hall,  all  business  being  suspended  for 
the  time,  and  the  flags  displayed  at  halt  mast,  with  general  evidence  of  mourning  on  every 
hand.  A  suitable  granite  monument  in  the  Lawrence  Cemetery  mark*  the  last  resting  plu<  «• 
of  the  martyr." 


t68  QUARTER-CEXTEXXIAL 

placed  in  charge.  Each  company  belonging  to  the  city,  on  its  return 
from  the  front  at  the  close  of  its  term  of  service,  was  received 
"with  fitting  welcome  and  suitable  demonstrations." 

Lawrence  furnished  two  thousand  four  hundred  and  ninety-seven 
men  for  the  war,  which  was  a  surplus,  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-four 
over  and  above  all  demands.  Ninety-two  were  commissoned  officers. 
The  whole  amount  of  money  appropriated  and  expended  by  the 
city  on  account  of  the  war,  exclusive  of  State  aid,  was  one  hundred 
and  fifteen  thousand  six  hundred  and  thirty  dollars  and  ten  cents, 
($115,630.10). 

The  amount  of  money  raised  by  the  city  during  the  four  years  of 
the  war  for  State  aid  paid  to  the  families  of  volunteers,  and  which 
was  afterwards  repaid  by  the  Commonwealth,  was  as  follows  :  In 
1861,  $14,524.05;  in  1862,  $52,555.52;  in  1863,  $58,153.48;  in 
1864,  $45,000.00;  in  1865,  $22,000.00.  Total  amount,  $192,233.05. 

The  '"'Ladies'  Soldiers'  Aid  Society"  of  Lawrence  continued  their 
patriotic  work  during  the  continuance  of  the  war.  They  held  weekly 
meetings  in  the  Common  Council  room  in  the  City  Hall,  to  make 
under-clothing,  bandages,  lint,  and  other  articles,  for  the  sick  and 
wounded  in  the  hospitals.  They  also  contributed  upwards  of  seven 
thousand  dollars  in  cash,  in  various  practical  charities  to  the  soldiers." 

The  history  of  the  Sixth  Regiment,  which  is  so  closely  identified 
with  this  city  was  one  of  the  most  eventful  of  the  war.  The  first  to 
respond  to  the  call  for  the  country's  safety,  and  the  first  to  bleed 
in  the  mighty  struggle.  This  regiment  has  the  undisputed  honor  of 
first  reaching  Washington  after  the  famous  fight  in  Baltimore  on  the 
1 9th  of  April,  1861. 

As  early  as  January  2ist  of  that  year  the  officers  of  the  Sixth  Regi- 
ment had  authorized  Colonel  Jones  to  pledge  the  service  of  the 
Regiment  to  the  government.  Major  B.  F.  Watson  presented  the 
resolution.  On  the  i5th  of  April  Gov.  Andrew  ordered  Col.  Jones 


SMITH    M.    DECKER, 

Grocer,  36  Amesbury  St.  Resides  at  333  Haverhill  St.  Has  been 
in  Lawrence  18  years.  Born  in  S»vanton,  Vt.,  1843.  Liberally  edu- 
cated at  Franklin  Academy,  Vt.  Has  been  in  business  at  the  present 
place  1 1  years.  Firm  name  now  Decker  &  VVhittier  ;  first  three  years 
was  Decker  &  Andrews,  the  latter  retiring  on  account  of  ill  health. 
Col.  Decker  enlisted  in  1862  in  the  i3th  Vermont  Regiment ;  commis- 
sioned 2d  lieut.,  1863.  In  1864  enlisted  in  the  6th  Mass.  Regiment. 
Served  as  sergeant,  ist  lieutenant  and  captain  in  Co.  K  of  this  regiment. 
July,  1872  was  made  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Sixth.  Was  mustered 
out  at  the  re-organization,  and  appointed  provost-marshal  on  the  staff 
First  Brigade.  In  1877  was  commissioned  major  of  the  Sixth  Reg't, 
which  position  he  at  present  holds. 


HISTORY   OF   LAWRENCE,    MASS.  169 

to  muster  his  command  on  Boston  Common  and  proceed  to  Wash- 
ington. Lawrence  furnished  two  companies,  I  and  F,  and  Lieut. 
Colonel  B.  F.  Watson.  Co.  F,  the  "Warren  Light  Guard,"  was 
organized  March  3d,  1855,  and  named  in  honor  of  General  Joseph 
Warren,  and  Co.  I,  the  "Lawrence  Light  Infantry,"  was  organized 
in  1849.  Company  F  was  commanded  by  Capt.  B.  F.  Chadbourne, 
Melvin  Beal  2d  lieutenant,  Thomas  J.  Gate,  3d  lieutenant,  Jesse  C. 
Silver,  4th  lieutenant.  Company  I  was  commanded  by  Capt.  John 
John  Pickering,  ist  lieutenant,  D.  S.  Yeaton,  zd  lieutenant,  A.  L. 
Hamilton,  3d  lieutenant,  E.  H.  Ellenwood,  4th  lieutenant,  Eugene  J. 
Mason. 

The  regiment  reached  Philadelphia  at  midnight  of  the  i8th,  and 
trouble  being  feared  in  their  passage  through  Baltimore,  ammunition 
was  distributed  and  orders  given  to  the  men  that  trouble  might  be 
expected.  Baltimore  is  a  city  of  200,000  population,  and  at  that 
time  more  than  half  of  the  population  were  rebels.  People  not 
acquainted  with  the  railroad  accommodations  at  Baltimore  do  not 
exactly  understand  the  situation  and  how  the  fight  came  about.  The 
cars  from  Philadelphia  enter  the  city  on  the  north  side ;  here  they 
are  detatched  from  the  locomotive  and  drawn  through  the  city  for 
two  miles  by  horses  to  the  Baltimore  and  Washington  depot.  The 
train  containing  the  regiment  consisted  of  eleven  cars.  Seven  of 
them  were  hauled  safely  through.  The  remaining  four  containing 
the  band,  Co.  C,  and  D,  of  Lowell,  Co.  I,  of  this  city,  and  Co.  L, 
of  Stoneham,  were  started  shortly  after,  but  the  infuriated  mob  be- 
coming more  determined,  barricaded  the  track  and  would  not  allow 
them  to  proceed.  These  men  then  left  the  cars  and  proceeded  to 
cross  the  city  on  foot  to  the  depot  for  Washington,  and  it  was  at  this 
time  that  the  troops  were  fired  upon,  and  one  of  the  first  that  fell  was 
Corporal  Sumner  H.  Needham,  of  Co.  I.  He  was  born  in  Bethel, 
Maine,  and  had  lived  in  Lawrence  about  twelve  years.  A  monument 


I  70  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL. 

marks  his  resting  place.     The  monument  was   erected  by  the  City 
Government. 

The  regiment  quartered  in  Washington  till  May  5th,  when  it  was 
ordered  to  the  Relay  House,  where  it  remained  till  July  22d,  the  ex- 
piration of  the  three  months  for  which  it  was  called  into  action,  and 
it  was  dismissed.  The  Lawrence  companies  were  welcomed  home 
with  great  enthusiasm,  congratulatory  speeches,  a  procession  and 
other  features  characterizing  the  day. 

The  year  following,  1862,  when  the  government  issued  a  call  for 
nine  months'  men,  the  Sixth  Regiment  was  again  recruited  to  help 
fill  the  quota.  Company  I  was  organized  from  this  city  with  A.  L. 
Hamilton  as  captain,  E.  H.  Ellemvood  i  st  lieutenant,  and  R.  H.  Barr 
2d  lieutenant.  Upon  the  staff  from  this  city  was  Melvin  Beal,  Lieut. 
Colonel.  The  regiment  did  duty  on  the  Blackwater  and  were  en- 
gaged in  several  fights.  It  was  mustered  out  May  25th,  1862.  The 
last  active  campaign  of  the  Sixth  was  as  one  hundred  days'  men, 
and  it  was  quite  monotonous,  duty  Col.  Beal  was  still  Lieutenant 
Colonel.  Company  K  was  mustered  from  Lawrence,  with  E.  J. 
Sherman  as  captain,  Moulton  Batchelder  ist  lieutenant,  and  John  D. 
Emerson  zd  lieutenant.  The  time  was  spent  mostly  in  forts. 

In  the  1 4th  Infantry,  commonly  known  as  the  Essex  County  regi- 
ment, Lawrence  was  represented  by  two  companies,  F  and  K.  On 
the  staff  during  the  war,  there  were  from  this  city,  Lieut-Col.  Levi  P. 
Wright,  Major  Frank  A.  Rolfe,  (killed)  and  Frank  Davis.  Company 
F  was  commanded  by  Captain  Samuel  Langmaid,  J.  W.  Kimball  ist 
lieutenant,  John  H.  Glover,  2d.  Company  K  by  Captain  Frank  A. 
Rolfe,  Caleb  Saunders,  ist  lieutenant,  William  Preston,  2d.  On  the 
first  of  January,  1862,  it  was  changed  into  the  First  Massachusetts 
Heavy  Artillery.  Early  in  April  the  regiment  was  required  to  furnish 
garrison  for  several  forts  in  Virginia,  and  August  26th  they  received 
orders  to  participate  in  the  battles  of  Bull  Run,  but  did  no  fighting 
at  that  time.  They  lay  on  their  arms  one  night.  The  regiment  sub- 


DANIEL   F.    DOLAN, 

Wool  Hat  Finisher.  Place  of  business,  Methuen.  House,  85  Cross 
St.  A  resident  of  Lawrence  twenty-three  years.  Born  in  Ireland, 
March  iQth,  1847  ;  is  not  married,  and  is  a  Roman  Catholic  in  his 
church  connections.  Served  in  the  Common  Council,  from  Ward  IV, 
in  1874,  and  was  president  of  the  body  during  that  year.  Was  elected 
commanding  officer  of  Co.  I.,  6th  Reg't  M.  V.  M.  in  June  1877,  and 
commissioned  the  following  month.  Is  at  present  the  Captain  of  said 
company. 


HISTORY   OF   LAWRENCE,    MASS.  171 

« 

sequently  returned  to  garrison  duty.  In  May  1864  the  regiment 
marched  to  join  the  army  of  the  Potomac,  and  was  assigned  to 
Tyler's  division,  Colonel  Tannatt  commanding.  On  the  igth,  the 
regiment  was  in  a  severe  engagement  in  which  two  officers  were 
killed,  fifteen  wounded,  fifty-three  men  killed,  and  two  hundred  and 
ninety-seven  wounded,  and  twenty-seven  reported  missing.  June  3d, 
occurred  the  battle  of  Cold  Harbor,  the  regiment  being  engaged  in 
charging  on  the  enemy's  works  in  the  morning,  and  the  repulse  at 
night.  In  frequent  engagements  during  the  summer,  it  lost  heavily. 
In  February  1865,  the  regiment  began  active  service.  On  the  25th 
of  August,  1865,  ^e  regiment  was  discharged,  having  been  in  service 
four  years,  one  month  and  twenty-one  days, 

In  the  26th  regiment  Companys  F  and  I  were  recruited  in  this 
city.  Company  F  was  commanded  by  Captain  Annabel,  with  E. 
Caufy  as  ist  lieutenant,  George  E.  Yerrington,  2d.  Company  I  was 
commanded  by  Captain  John  Pickering,  ist  lieutenant  Charles  E. 
Drew,  and  Badger  2d. 

In  the  4 ist  Infantry,  changed  to  Third  Cavalry,  was  Company  B. 

E.  L.  Noyes,  captain,  C.  T.  Batchelder,  ist  lieutenant,  Chas.  Stone, 
2d  lieutenant.     Colonel  L.  D.  Sargent  also  belonged  to  this  regiment. 

Company  C  of  the  4Oth  regiment  was  mustered  also  from  this  city, 
with  Stephen  D.  Stokes  captain,  Eugene  J.  Mason  ist  lieutenant,  J. 

F.  Weare  2d  lieutenant. 

In  the  i  yth  regiment  this  city  was  represented  by  Company  I, 
Thomas  Weir  captain,  Michael  Burns  ist  lieutenant.  The  second 
lieutenant  did  not  belong  to  this  city. 

One  company  of  three  years'  men  were  also  recruited  from  this 
city  that  joined  the  New  York  Mozart  regiment. 

In  the  nine  months'  regiments,  two  companies  were  raised  in  this 
city  for  the  4th  regiment,  B  and  H.  B.  was  commanded  by  Captain 


172  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

E.  T.  Colby,  with  Geo.  S.  Merrill  as  ist  lieutenant,  and  John  K.  Tar- 
box  as  2d  lieutenant.  Company  H,  John  R.  Rollins  captain,  J.  G. 
Abbott  ist  lieutenant,  and  Hiram  Robinson  2d. 

In  the  ninety  days  men  the  eighth  unattached  company  was  com- 
manded by  Captain  A.  L.  Hamilton,  with  E.  H.  Ellenwood  as  ist, 
and  Fred.  G.  Tyler  as  2d  lieutenant. 

What  the  "boys"  endured  in  the  way  of  suffering  and  hardships 
while  in  the  army  of  the  rebellion  will  but  a  small  part  ever  be  told. 
Many  were  killed,  many  died  of  wounds  and  disease,  and  many  others 
were  diseased  and  maimed  for  life.  The  personal  history  of  several 
of  them  would  of  itself  make  a  volume.  We  will  briefly  follow  the 
history  of  but  one  and  from  that  the  reader  can  glean  something  of 
the  experience  of  many  who  took  part  in  the  whole  campaign. 
Captain  L.  N.  Duchesney  whose  portrait  is  in  this  book  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  Company  F,  Sixth  regiment,  at  the  first  call  "to  arms"  and 
was  with  the  regiment  in  its  "march  through  Baltimore."  Arriving  at 
Washington  he  was  detailed  as  telegraph  operator.  Came  home  and 
was  mustered  out  August  2d,  1861.  Enlisted  as  private  in  Company 
H,  ist  Mass.  Cavalry.  November  22d,  was  promoted  to  corporal 
and  shortly  after  to  sergeant,  and  then  to  orderly ;  commissioned  2d 
lieutenant  January  i6th,  1863  ;  ist  lieutenant  February  i6th,  1864. 
Mustered  out  April  3d,  1864.  Was  subsequently  commissioned  cap- 
tain ist  battalion  of  ist  Mass.  Cavalry,  in  the  26th  New  York  Cavalry, 
March  1865,  and  was  stationed  on  the  frontier  at  Ogdensburg  and 
Champlain.  Since  the  war  Captain  Duchesney  enlisted  as  private  in 
Company  C,  6th  regiment,  M.  V.  M.,  May  3d,  1871.  ist  lieutenant, 
May  1871.  Resigned  and  discharged  Nov.  2Oth,  1872.  Elected 
and  commissioned  Captain  August  23d,  1873,  and  has  held  this  posi- 
tion since  that  time. 

The  above  tells  only  the  bright  side.  But  while  in  the  army  earn- 
ing these  promotions  Captain  Duchesney  took  active  parts  in  the 
following  battles.  Fredericksburg,  Chancellorville,  Rapidan  Station, 


LAURENCE   N.    DUCHESNEY, 

Inspector  of  Customs  at  the  Boston  Custom  House.  Residence,  46 
Lowell  St.,  Lawrence.  Born  in  Canada,  Sept.,  1842.  Came  to  this 
city  in  1858.  He  was  employed  in  the  packing  room  at  the  Pacific 
Mills  until  the  war  of  the  rebellion  broke  out.  For  his  army  record 
seepages  172,  173  and  174  of  this  history.  Capt.  Duchesney  has 
been  commander  of  Needham  Post,  No.  39,  G.  A.  R.  His  family 
consists  of  a  wife  and  two  children. 


HISTORY    OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  173 

Rappahanock  Bridge,  Stevensburg,  Brandy  Station,  Culpepper,  Kelly's 
Ford,  Popple  Grove  Church,  Union  Mills,  Aldie,  Secessionville,  all  in 
Virginia  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  He  joined  the  department  of 
the  South  and  took  part  in  the  battles  at  French  Brook,  Rayto\vn, 
Granville,  and  Chockee  River,  in  East  Tennessee. 

At  the  last  fight  in  Virginia  he  was  taken  prisoner  of  war  June  i  yth, 
1863,  and  taken  to  Richmond  to  Libby  Prison.     While  here  he  was 
selected  as  a  hostage  and  sentenced  to  be  hung.     Put  into  solitary 
confinement  for  sixty-nine  days  and  nights,  half  starved,  and  expected 
every  moment  to  be  taken  to  the  scaffold  for  execution.     At  the  ex- 
piration of  this  time  he  was  taken  to  Salisbury,  N.  C.,  and  for  three 
months  with  three  others  were  under  orders  to  be  shot  in  retaliation  for 
four  bushwhackers  hung  by  Burnside  in  Tennessee.     When  the  au- 
thorities at  Washington  found  out  that  they  were  thus  sentenced  they 
sent  word  to  the  "rebs"  that  if  these  men  were  shot  the  government 
would  immediately  shoot  Gen.  Fitzhugh  Lee,  a  son  of  Gen.  Winder, 
and  two  other  noted  Southerners  who  were  then  prisoners  of  war  held 
by  the  U.  S.  government.     This  caused  the  sentence  to  be  deferred 
and  finally  abandoned.     He  was  then  taken  to  be  carried  to  Dan- 
ville, but  while  on  the  way  he  escaped  by  jumping  from  the  cars 
while  in  motion  about  ten  o'clock  at  night.     This  was  twelve  miles 
from  Greensboro'.     Three  others  escaped  at  the  same  time,  Captain 
E.    M.  Driscoll,  Third  Ohio   Infantry,  Lieut.  Quimby,  Ninth  New 
Hampshire,  and  Sergeant  Hayes  of  this  city.     The  latter  was  cap- 
tured and  taken  back.     These  other  three  wended  their  way  due 
westward,  travelling  nights  and  stealing  or  begging  scanty  supplies  to 
sustain   life   as  the  case  might  be,  going   1500  miles  through  the 
enemy's  country,   arriving  at   Knoxville,  Tennessee,  January   13th, 
1864.     While  passing  through  the   mountains  Captain   Duchesney 
joined  himself  for  a  while  with  bushwhackers  and  finally  with  Col. 
Kirk's  North  Carolina  Cavalry,  all  of  whom  were  engaged  in  guerrilla 
warfare  against    the  Secessionists.      Upon  arriving  at  Knoxville  he 


174  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL   HISTORY   OF   LAWRENCE,    MASS. 

reported  to  General  Green,  Provost  Marshal,  and  was  at  once  by 
order  of  Secretary  Stanton  sent  to  Washington  and  mustered  out  of 
service,  his  time  having  expired. 

THE    MILITIA. 

The  headquarters  of  the  Sixth  Regiment  Massachusetts  Volunteer 
Militia  are  in  this  city.  Colonel  Beal,  the  commander  at  the  first  call 
for  soldiers  to  put  down  the  rebellion,  was  a  member  of  the  State 
Militia,  2d  Lieutenant  of  Company  F,  Sixth  Regiment.  On  the  6th 
of  May,  same  year,  he  was  commissioned  Captain.  When  the  regi- 
ment was  recruited  for  nine  months  service  in  1862  he  was  commis- 
sioned Lieutenant  Colonel,  serving  in  this  capacity  during  this  enlist- 
ment, and  the  subsequent  100  days'  service.  January  3Oth,  1863,  had 
his  horse  killed  at  his  side  in  the  battle  on  the  Blackwater,  and  also 
received  honorable  mention  for  bravery.  Since  the  close  of  the  war 
Colonel  Beal  has  been  the  commander  of  the  Sixth  Regiment,  M. 
V.  M.  Company  I,  Captain  Daniel  F.  Dolan,  and  Company  K, 
Captain  L.  N.  Duchesney,  of  this  regiment  are  located  here.  •  Major 
Smith  M.  Decker,  and  Adjutant  Charles  H.  Littlefield  and  pay- 
master L.  G.  Holt  of  the  Staff  also  belong  to  Lawrence. 


TIMOTHY   DACEY, 

Hotel  Keeper,  of  firm  of  T.  Dacey  &  Co.,  proprietors  of  Boston  Hotel, 
200  Essex  St.  Has  been  in  Lawrence  since  early  childhood.  Born 
in  Clonakilty,  Cork  Co.,  Ireland,  1837.  Was  a  member  of  the  com- 
mon council  for  1871-2,  a  member  of  the  police  force  in  1868,  and  a 
member  of  the  house  of  representatives,  1877.  Captain  Dacey  was 
formerly  prominently  connected  with  the  Fenian  movement,  and  was 
sent  in  1865  by  the  Lawrence  Fenian  Club  to  England,  where  he  was 
arrested  soon  after  his  arrival.  He  was  released  and  subsequently  ar- 
rested and  rescued,  several  of  his  rescuers  being  hung  for  the  offence. 
Enlisted  in  Co.  I,  Qth  Mass.  Reg't,  June,  1861  ;  promoted  to  sergeant 
June,  1861,  2nd  lieutenant,  Sept.,  1862,  ist  lieutenant,  April,  1863. 
Was  wounded  in  the  "Battle  of  the  Wilderness,"  May,  1864.  Mus- 
tered out  June,  1864.  Enlisted  in  Co.  I,  6th  Reg't,  M.  V.  M.,  Jan. 
1871  ;  was  elected  captain  in  February,  same  year  ;  resigned  June,  1877. 


XVII. 

THE   CITY  MISSION— CATHOLIC  SOCIETIES, 
NEWSPAPERS,  ETC. 


LAWRENCE   CITY    MISSION. 

In  a  new  city  like  this,  the  philanthropic  people  soon  saw  the  need 
of  caring  for  a  certain  class,  unfortunately  destitute,  who  were  not 
and  ought  not  to  be  classed  paupers.  Rev.  Mr.  Harrington  of  the 
Unitarian  church  was  the  first  to  apply  this  principle,  and  in  the 
years  1852-3  solicited  contributions  throughout  the  parish  and  acted 
himself  as  distributing  agent.  This  worked  so  well  that  on  the  2pth 
day  of  December,  1854,  an  assembly  was  convened  agreeably  to  call 
and  an  association  organized  called  the  "  Lawrence  Provident  Asso- 
ciation." The  officers  elected  were,  President,  John  C.  Hoadley ; 
Vice  Presidents,  George  Packard  and  J.  D.  Herrick ;  Treasurer,  W. 
D.  Lamb ;  Secretary,  Richard  H.  Rust,  who  was  at  that  time  pastor 
of  the  Haverhill  street  M.  E.  church.  The  plan  of  the  work  was 
to  raise  funds  by  contributions  and  distribute  them  through  ward 
committees,  three  from  each  ward  being  chosen  for  that  purpose. 
Monthly  meetings  were  held  and  reports  made  on  the  condition  ot 
the  work.  January  6th,  1857,  George  P.  Wilson  was  elected  general 
agent  and  treasurer,  but  declined  the  position  at  that  time  owing  to 
other  engagements,  and  Henry  Withington  was  chosen  in  his  stead. 

175 


176  QUARTER-CENTENNIAL 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  October,  1858,  Dr.  Packard  was  elected 
President,  N.  P.  Houghton  Secretary,  and  George  P.  Wilson  General 
Agent  and  Treasurer,  at  a  salary  of  $600  per  annum.  At  length  it 
was  -thought  that  an  organization  more  comprehensive  would  better 
serve  the  purposes  of  the  people,  and  in  accordance  with  the  follow- 
ing vote  delegates  were  chosen  : 

Voted,  That  a  committee  of  two  from  each  religious  society  be 
invited  to  meet  in  convention  with  a  committee  of  two  from  the 
Provident  Association  to  take  into  consideration  the  subject  of  estab- 
lishing a  City  Mission: 

Provident  Association. — George  Packard,  William  D.  Lamb. 

Grace  Church. — James  Payne,  B.  F.  Watson. 

Lawrence  Street  Church. — Benjamin  Coolidge,  Chas.  H.  Bigelo\v. 

Central  Church. — Daniel  Tenney,  John  Fallen. 

Universalist  Church. — Robert  Stere,  Artemas  Harmon. 

Unitarian  Church. — Charles  S.  Storrow,  H.  K.  Oliver. 

Free  Baptist  Church. — E.  M.  Tappan,  Simeon  Briggs. 

First  Baptist  Church. — S.  C.  Woodward,  A.  J.  French. 

Presbyterian  Church. — John  McKay,  Mr.  Daylish. 

First  Methodist  Church. — Amasa  Bryant,  N.  Ambrose. 

Garden  Street  Church. — W.  F.  Evans,  David  Ambrose. 

Common  Street  Presbyterian. — J.  Hudson,  John  Clayton. 

Spiritualist. — W.  R.  Wason,  J.  C.  Bowker. 

The  delegates  were  convened  March  23d,  1859,  and  the  Lawrence 
City  Mission  organized.  Dr.  Packard  was  chosen  President,  and 
Rev.  George  P.  Wilson  Missionary.  The  organization  has  since  con- 
tinued, managed  by  a  board  of  advice  elected  and  constituted  simi- 
lar to  the  original  delegates.  Through  this  agency  some  $2,500  in 
money  and  clothing  has  been  collected  and  distributed  annually. 
The  salary  of  the  Missionary  has  been  raised  by  the  corporations 
outside  of  this  fund. 


CHARLES   URBANE   DUNNING, 

City  Missionary,  Chaplain  at  the  Jail  and  House  of  Correction,  and 
clergyman  of  the  Methodist  faith.  Mission  office,  205  Essex  Street ; 
residence,  89  Newbury  Street.  Was  for  three  years  pastor  the  Gar- 
den St.  M.  E.  Church — 1866-9.  City  Missionary  and  Chaplain  at  the 
Jail  since  1872.  Born  at  Ithica,  Tompkins  Co.,  N.  Y.,  July,  1829. 
Married  Harriet  Frances  Batchelder,  1858  ;  has  three  children.  (For 
history  of  early  life  and  preparation  for  life-work  see  history  of  City 
Mission  in  this  book.)  Mr.  Dunning  has  been  stationed  for  pastoral 
work  in  New  Hampshire  as  follows  :  East  Sanbornton,  (now  East  Til- 
ton,)  1854  ;  Chester,  1855  ;  Bethlehem  and  Carroll,  1856  ;  North  Hav- 
erhill,  1858  ;  Haverhill,  1858-9  ;  Enfield,  1860  ;  East  Canaan,  1862-6  ; 
three  years  in  this  city  and  three  years  at  Dover,  returning  from  that 
place  to  Lawrence. 


HISTORY   OF   LAWRENCE,    MASS.  177 

Rev.  George  P.  Wilson  than  whom  the  poor  of  the  city  never  had 
a  firmer  friend,  continued  to  hold  the  office  of  Missionary  till  April, 
1872,  when  he  resigned  to  accept  a  position  in  the  Methodist  Con- 
ference, stationed  at  South  Boston.  A  little  more  than  a  year  from 
that  time,  July  loth,  1873,  he  sickened  and  died.  His  remains  were 
brought  here  for  interment,  the  funeral  being  held  in  the  Garden 
street  church.  He  was  buried  in  Bellevue  Cemetery,  a  beautiful 
monument  on  the  eastern  slope  marking  his  resting  place. 

At  the  same  meeting  of  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Wilson,  the  board 
elected  as  his  successor  Rev.  C.  U.  Dunning  the  present  incumbent. 
Mr.  Dunning  came  from  Exeter,  though  he  was  no  stranger,  having 
been  previously  stationed  over  the  Garden  street  church.  He  was 
peculiarly  fitted  for  the  position — reared  in  a  Christian  home  in  Utica, 
New  York,  first  studying  law  and  afterwards  preparing  for  the  minis- 
try. He  was  ordained  in  1858  and  had  been  appointed  spiritual 
guide  over  eight  different  Methodist  churches  before  accepting  the 
position  of  Missionary. 


CATHOLIC   SOCIETIES. 

Connected  with  the  Catholic  churches  of  the  city  are  several  or- 
ganizations for  the  promotion  of  temperance,  mutual  relief  and  charity. 
These  have  a  numerous  membership  and  usually  on  St.  Patricks  day 
they  turn  out  in  procession  and  make  a  very  creditable  display.  The 
oldest  of  these  is  the  Irish  Catholic  Benevolent  Society,  organized 
October  15,  1863.  As  its  name  implies  its  object  is  mutual  charity 
and  the  disbursements  for  this  object  are  upwards  of  one  thousand 
dollars  annually. 

The  Father  Mathew  Total  Abstinence  Society  is  the  largest  society 
of  its  nature  in  Essex  County.  It  was  organized  in  1869.  Its  presi- 
dent is  Joseph  T.  Nichols. 


1 78  QUARTER-CENTEXNIAL. 

There  are  two  lodges  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  Hibernians,  Nos. 
i  and  8.  These  are  beneficial  organizations  and  weekly  sick  benefits 
of  $5.00  per  week  are  paid.  The  president  of  No.  i  is  John  O'Keefe 
and  No.  8,  John  T.  O'Connor. 

The  Knights  of  St.  Patrick  embrace  some  of  the  most  wealthy  and 
cultured  of  the  Catholic  faith  in  the  city.  They  have  a  handsome 
uniform  and  number  about  100  members.  The  commander  is  Patrick 
Ford,  treasurer  Wm.  H.  Keefe. 

NEWSPAPERS. 

To  write  at  length  the  history  of  the  newspapers  of  the  city 
would  make  an  interesting  chapter  to  those  familiar  with  the  business, 
but  to  the  average  reader  it  would  be  exceedingly  dull.  The  career 
of  none  has  been  brilliant.  All  the  early  ventures  were  failures,  and 
of  the  last  decade  their  growth  has  only  corresponded  with  the 
growth  of  the  city.  Considering  the  capital  and  brains  required  in 
their  production  no  paper  in  Lawrence  could  be  said  to  be  a  paying 
investment.  But  newspapers  are  not  made,  they  grow.  And  some 
of  those  in  this  city  are  destined  in  the  course  of  time  to  be  powerful 
metropolitan  sheets. 

J.  F.  C.  Hayes  was  the  man  who  inaugurated  the  newspaper  enter- 
prise here.  Early  in  1846  he  came  to  this  city  and  set  up  a  printing 
press  in  a  partially  completed  block  on  Broadway.  He  soon  threw 
out  a  little  weekly  sheet  called  the  Merrimac  Courier,  afterwards 
called  the  Lawrence  Weekly  and  Tri-Weekly  Courier.  He  continued 
them  for  a  few  years  and  before  they  expired  in  1862,  they  had  been 
under  the  guiding  hands  of  John  A.  Goodwin,  Homer  A.  Cook,  and 
Nathaniel  Ambrose.  They  were  finally  merged  into  a  paper  called  the 
Daily  Journal,  but  soon  expired.  In  January  1847,  the  Weekly  Mes- 
senger, by  Brown  &  Beckett,  was  transferred  from  Exeter,  N.  H.,  but 


HISTORY    OF    LAWRENCE,    MASS.  179 

lived  only  about  two  years.  Then  followed  the  Herald  and  the  Van- 
guard, both  Democratic  papers  ;  the  latter  was  published  by  Fabyan 
&  Douglas,  the  former  by  Amos  H.  Sampson.  After  a  time  the 
Vanguard  was  changed  to  the  Sentinel,  which  still  continues  under 
the  management  of  Abiel  Morrison  &  Son.  In  1854  the  Home  Re- 
view was  started  by  J.  F.  C.  Hayes,  afterwards  transferred  to  Frank 
Leath,  but  lived  only  a  few  months.  In  1855  Geo.  W.  Sargent  and 
A.  S.  Bunker  began  the  Lawrence  American  as  a  Know  Nothing  organ. 
Mr.  Bunker  soon  sold  out  to  Mr.  Sargent  for  twenty-five  dollars ; 
and  Mr.  Sargent  was  soon  succeeded  by  Geo.  S.  Merrill,  the  present 
proprietor.  In  1861  Dockham  &  Place  began  a  daily  paper,  but  it 
did  not  have  an  existence  long  enough  to  be  worthy  of  the  name  of 
a  daily  paper. 

In  1867  tne  Essex  Eagle  was  started  by  Merrill  &  Wadsworth,  Mr. 
Merrill  soon  retiring,  and  has  of  late  been  local  editor  of  the  Sentinel 
Mr.  Wadsworth  continued  on,  starting  the  Daily  Eagle  from  the  same 
office,  July  20,  1868.  In  1873  ne  so^  both  papers  to  Hammon 
Reed,  the  present  owner,  Mr.  Wadsworth  still  continuing  with  the 
paper.  The  Daily  Eagle  is  the  oldest  daily  in  the  city,  the  Daily 
American  being  issued  the  next  evening. 

The  Lawrence  Journal,  weekly,  was  started  by  Robert  Bower  as  a 
labor  organ  in  1871,  but  was  sold  in  1877  to  Patrick  Sweeney,  the 
present  proprietor.  The  only  papers  in  Lawrence  to-day  are  two 
dailies,  the  Eagle  and  the  American,  and  four  weeklies,  the  Eagle, 
American,  Sentinel,  and  Journal. 


HORACE  A.  WADSWORTH, 

The  compiler  of  this  book  and  pioneer  of  sucessful  daily  journal- 
ism in  Lawrence.  Office,  307  Essex  Street ;  house  65  Tremont  Street. 
Born  in  Milford,  N.  H.,  1837.  Came  to  this  city  in  1866.  Started 
the  ESSEX  WEEKLY  EAGLE,  1867  ;  LAWRENCE  DAILY  EAGLE,  1868,  and 
is  still  connected  with  the  office.  Has  a  wife  and  three  children. 
Attends  Lawrence  Street  Congregational  Church. 


CONTENTS. 


Prefatory, 3 

Chapter     i, — Geography  and  Topography, 7 

Chapter     2, — Merrimack  River, 12 

Chapter    3, — -The  Indians, 15 

Chapter    4, — Early  Settlers, 21 

Chapter    5, — Beginning  of  the  Enterprise — The  Essex  Co.,. ...  39 

Chapter    6, — Andover  Bridge — The  oldest  Corporation, 56 

Chapter    7, — The  Churches, 66 

Chapter    8, — The  Corporations, 86 

Chapter    9, — Municipal  Administration, 106 

Chapter  10, — Public  Schools, 122 

Chapter  1 1, — The  Courts — Public  Library, 134 

Chapter  12, — Water  Works — Fire  Department — Navigation,.  . .  137 

Chapter  13, — Orders  and  Societies, 143 

Chapter  14, — Minor  Industries — Corporate  and  Incorporate,. .  .  150 

Chapter  15, — Notable  Events, 160 

Chapter  16, — Lawrence  in  the  Rebellion, 165 

Chapter  1 7, — The  City  Mission— Catholic  Societies— Newspapers,  175 


ILLUSTRATIONS   AND    PORTRAITS. 


Birds  eye  view  of  city Frontispiece. 

Map  of  territory  (1845) Page  8 

Isaac  Tewksbury,  (portrait)  opposite 22 

Artemas  W.  Stearns,  " 24 

James  D  Herrick,  "                26 

Aaron  Orihvay,  "                 28 

Asa  M.  Bodwell,  "                30 

Win.  R.  Spaldiii£,  " 32 

Stephen  P.  Simmons,  "                34 

Hezekiau  PlumnitT,  "                 36 

Charlua  8.  Storrow,  "               33 

Daniel  Saunders,  Sr.,  " 40 

Albert  Warren,  "                42 

John  R.  Rollins,  "                44 

Daniel  Sanndeis,  "                 46 

Wm.  H.  P.  Wright,  "                 48 

Alfred  J.  French,  " 50 

Nath'l  II.  P.  Viclvin,  "                 52 

Smith  B.  \V.  Davis,  "                54 

John  K.  Tarliox,  "                 56 

Robert  H.  Tewksbury,  " 58 

*E.  R.  Haydeu,  "                60 

C'uleb  Saunders,  "                 62 

•buii'-M  R.  Simpson,                                     64 

Thomas  Clegg,  "                66 

George  Packard,  •'                , 67 

.lame-  (J.  Abbott,  "                  68 

Joseph  Shntt uck,  "                70 

George  San  born,  "                72 

Luther  Ladd,  "                 , 74 

Silas  H.  Loring,  "                76 

M.P.Merrill,  "                 78 

A.V.Bugbee,  "               80 

James  O'Donnell,  •'                  82 

St.  Mary's  Church,  "                 *3 

James  E.  Shepard,                                 S4 

Byron  Truell,  "               ' 88 


LXXXIV  Illustrations  and  Portraits  Continued. 

Levi  Emery,    (portrait)  opposite,        88 

Gran vi lie  M.  Stoddard,  " 90 

Albert  K.  Field,  " 92 

J.  Clinton  White,  "                94 

Michael  Rinn,  "                96 

Lurandus  Beach,  Jr.,  "                98 

Thos.  A.  Emmons,  "                100 

John  K.  Norwood,  "                102 

Charles  R.  Mason,  "                104 

John  C.  Dow,  "                106 

Ebenezer  B.  Currier,  •'                108 

Daniel  Hardy,  "                110 

David  Dana,  "                112 

Samuel  M.  Davis,  "                114 

James  S.  Barrie,  "                116 

Eugene  S.  Yates,  "                  118 

Edward  Caufy,  "                120 

Gilbert  E.  Hood,  "                122 

John  F.  Cogswell,  "                124 

Albert  D .  Swan,  " 126 

Albert  F.  Colbnrn,  "                128 

Prescott  G.  Pillsbury,  "                130 

William  Stevens,  "                135 

Nathan  W.  Harmon,  "               136 

Monlton  Batchelder,  "                138 

Wm.  E.  Heald,  " 140 

Albert  Emerson,  "                142 

D.  F.  Robinson,  "                144 

Odd  Fellows' Building,  "                147 

Wm.  W.Colby,  "                148 

Eben  E.  Foster,  "                150 

John  W.  Porter,  "                T52 

Mark  Manahan.  "                , 156 

Chase  Philbrick,  "                162 

MelvinBeal,  "               166 

Smith  M.  Decker,  "                168 

Daniel  F.  Dolan,  "                1TO 

L.N.  Duchesney,  "               1T2 

Timothy  Dacey,  "                174 

Chas.  U.  Dunning,  "                176 

H.  A.  Wadsworth,  "                180 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


EB-URC  2  Doers 


1977, 


1  8  1977 


Form  L9-Series  444 


A     000107597     7 


